The Journey Home
by T'Luminareth
Summary: Alice left Underland with the thought that she had questions to answer but she did not know that things were about to fall apart.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Disclaimer: I still don't own Alice in Wonderland or the wonderful characters that are involved. If I had to own one of the characters it would be hands down the Mad Hatter but alas it was not meant to be. This is only the first chapter and I have no idea yet where this story will take me. It may be a while for the next chapter and I have no idea cluehow long the story on a whole will run. We shall see together. I hope you enjoy!**

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Tarrant could only stare at Alice with a forlorn and disappointed look on his face as the jabberwocky's blood took her back home as she wished it to. She slowly dissolved into nothing, the only thing that seemed to linger were her eyes, eyes that always twinkled with the spark of her muchness. He felt empty as they too disappeared from sight and she was no more, almost as if she had never existed at all, but he knew very well that she existed.

He did not know exactly what he felt for her but what ever it was it made him ache at her departure. He remembered their conversation on the balcony of the White Queen, the one that involved her saying that this was all a dream and that he was not real. If he was a figment of her imagination why did she make him feel this way? But she had also said that when she did leave she would miss him the most, that had to account for something.

He felt like the air was crushing him, that he was indeed mad even though he remembered her telling him in the Red Queen's palace that he was mad but all the best people were. He remembered her hands on his face, hands that were not the right size but he had still liked the feeling of her skin against his. She had smelled like grass in the summer breeze, it had been intoxicating and had snapped him out of his anger almost instantly. Her presence always soothed him, seemed to ground him.

He looked at the place Alice had been standing a moment before and he could swear he still smelled her. The White Queen stood off to the side with the white rabbit and all the other creatures who were on her side. She smiled a knowing smile, a smile that tried to reassure him that things would be all right. He only stared at her blankly asking with his eyes _How do you know it will be all right?_

She walked over to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. With her soft voice full of sorrow for her most trusted and loyal subject she said, "It will be all right Tarrant. You will see. She has learned much here but she still has much to learn. We could not keep her against her will, that would have upset you more."

He knew she was right, if he had forced her to stay as he wished he had, she would not have been happy here, would not have been happy with him. He didn't know which was worse.

Tarrant looked at the White Queen with his huge green eyes that were now flecked with red and yellow. You could always tell how the hatter was feeling just by looking at him, he was an open book if you knew what you were looking at. The White Queen had known Tarrant for a long time and she knew that he was conflicted right now.

He had never been quite right after the day the Red Queen had sent the jabberwocky to destroy his village, all to retrieve the crown that she thought rightfully belonged to her. He blamed himself for the deaths of his people, always saying there was more he could have done, should have foreseen such an attack and no matter what the White Witch said it never did any good.

The White Queen sighed, she knew that Alice would eventually come back to both Underland and him when she was ready, had seen it in the recovered scroll.

Tarrant finally spoke with the smallest hint of a Scottish accent, "Yes your Majesty I know that I could not have kept her here. I tried but she would have none of it as her actions clearly show."

"Tarrant, I swear this is not the end of your story or hers. She will be back some day."

He starting giggling and it soon became his insane laugh, the one that he had used when he had figured out the Red Queen's courtiers were not what they appeared. He couldn't seem to stop laughing at what the White Queen had just said and he didn't know why. He knew that the Queen only spoke the truth, part of her vows, plus she would never hurt him. He suddenly closed his mouth and a strangled sound escaped his lips as he forced himself to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry," he meekly said, sounding very much like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "I don't know what came over me…"

The White Queen simply smiled and replied, "I think you are relieved to hear such news old friend. There is much that you yourself do not fully grasp yet and the sooner you do the better off you will be."

He looked at her with the confusion written clearly on his face and in his eyes. She smiled mischievously as she walked past him. He followed her movements as she walked up to her mount. Coolly collecting the reins she looked at him and said as if it was an after thought, "I was wondering what you were going to do now."

He had not even thought that far yet. He had been hopping quite vigorously that Alice would have stayed and she would have given him a purpose. His eyes began to turn white as he began to feel frustrated at the thought of him being useless.

_But I'm not useless. I can make things. Wonderful things. Even she liked them. _

_No don't think of her. Put her from your mind or you'll go mad. _

_I already am mad though. Mad, such a strange word and it starts with the letter 'm'._ _I'm investigating things that begin with the letter M. _

_She said I wasn't mad and I believe her. _

_What if she really did create you? _

_Then why am I still here when she's not? _

_Maybe she's dreaming of you right now. _

_But if she was wouldn't she be here?_

_Hard to say but you are mad you know._

_I am not!_

_You're talking to yourself._

_A lot of people do that._

_And they are considered mad._

_All the best people are! Alice told me so._

_If you insist._

"Tarrant?" the voice was far away but the hand on his shoulder saved him from himself. He slightly jumped at the touch and quickly pulled himself together.

The White Queen could see he was still thinking about the question, all his features were scrunched up but eventually he said, "I don't know what I'm going to do now. There is nothing for me to do is there, what with me being mad and all."

"Tarrant you are not mad. If you have nothing to do as you claim then why don't you become my hatter again. You were always the best."

"I'm only best now because there is no one else left," there was the hint of the accent again and his eyes became darker with the remembrance of that day. He heard screaming on the wind, an echo of that day and he quickly covered his ears trying to block it out.

"So much pain," the Scottish accent was now at its heaviest as he continued, "I can help them, need to help them. That's what I'll do. I'll save them, all of them. But the Queen, she needs me too. So much screaming, so much death. I can't save them, but I will avenge them." His eyes were the deepest orange red that the Queen had ever seen them before, she would never admit it but she was actually afraid of him.

"Tarrant," she slowly started as she approached him cautiously as if he was a wolf who would at any moment attack her. "Tarrant, you have avenged their memory….you helped Alice through her journey which led her to defeat the jabberwocky…the Red Queen is banished….and you live on to uphold their memory…"

His breathing became agitated as he worked through what she had said. The Queen inched her hand towards him, not wanting to startle him. She put her hand on his shoulder and he immediately took in a halting breath. His eyes slowly turned their normal vibrant green and he looked at her with the apology written all over his features.

"Tarrant please be my hatter again," she whispered.

He thought about her offer for a moment but deep down he already knew the answer he was going to give her. He did so enjoy his trade and he would make hats again but this time for someone who would appreciate his craft.

"I would be honored your Majesty," he slightly bowed his head to her.

She nodded her head almost with a smugness that suggested she knew he would never refuse her or the chance to do what he loved. Maybe he would be able to keep himself preoccupied while Alice was away and the pain at her leaving would lessen just a little so he could function day to day.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland and I do not own Pride and Prejudice but i thought it reminiscent of Tarrant and Alice (squint really hard). This is mostly just more set up until the plot comes along. I must say Alice is a bit harder to write about. Anyway enjoy!**

Alice stood on the deck of the ship smiling to herself. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salt air, the smell of freedom. She knew her mother and Lord Ascot were on the dock to see her off, she wished them a silent farewell, if it was up to her she would not see them again for a very long time.

Of course she was not taking this voyage just to get away, she had work to do so she wasn't free in that aspect but she was in every other sense of the word.

There was no mother telling her how to dress, no sister saying she should get married before she lost her looks, no man asking for her hand under the pressure of his mother. If she ever did get married she would do it for love.

She had almost felt that feeling once but she couldn't remember where or when. She had the strange feeling that she was supposed to be somewhere, somewhere other than where she was headed now. The feeling that there was someone out there who needed and loved her, but that was silly since all the men she knew did not need her and they did not love her.

At the precise moment she thought that, a blue butterfly alighted on her shoulder and a name popped into her head, one she said out loud, "Absolem?"

The butterfly seemed to say yes by fluttering its wings. It stayed situated on her shoulder for a moment more, a moment when she could have sworn she heard the butterfly whisper, "He needs you."

The butterfly fluttered away, Alice watching as it flew further and further away on the wind. She wondered what he had meant. Who needed her? She could almost see a face in her mind but as soon as it was there, it was gone.

She shook her head and couldn't believe she was actually considering the thought that a blue butterfly not only had a name but that he had said something of importance. Butterflies couldn't talk. Could they? She seemed to remember something about a talking caterpillar but that had been a dream.

She put the thought from her mind and concentrated on the task at hand. She would have to set up trade routes with China, something everyone insisted was unfeasible, but she always liked trying the impossible.

She heard men yelling to one another and knew the ship would soon be under way. She had a long journey ahead of her, one she was looking forward to immensely.

With an indistinguishable shout the ship shuddered as the anchor was lifted, the sails dropped with a whoosh of fabric and the ropes creaked as the sails put them to the test. The breeze filled the sails and the ship slowly began to pull away.

The other passengers had crowded to the railing to have one last look at their loved ones, to blow kisses, shout last minute goodbyes and wave.

Alice stayed where she was since she had already said her goodbyes and she had a feeling her mother would mistake one of the other passengers as her. Someone else was saying a final goodbye for her.

"You have no one to say goodbye to?"

She whipped around at the voice and was confronted with a young man about her age who looked so very familiar and yet she knew that they had not met before.

She smiled shyly at him and replied, "I have said my goodbyes."

"You are happy to be leaving?"

She stared at him as if his question hid some other meaning, his voice had hinted at something but she shook it off and once again replied to his question, "I am. I did not like it at home. It was not enough. I need a good challenge."

He seemed to think about her answer and then he asked yet another question, "How were you not content? You had love did you not?"

She did not know why she felt compelled to answer him but she found herself doing just that, "Yes I had love…the smothering love of a mother but I want to see the world and I like that I am doing what my father himself tried to do."

He thought about her words and asked quietly, "Is that the only love you had?"

She looked at him in shock, her mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. How dare this stranger ask such a thing of her? Who was he to ask whether she had more then the love of a mother?

Yet there again was that feeling that she needed to answer and before she could stop herself she said, "I believe I might have been in love once…I just can't remember if it was real or a dream…"

He looked at her with intense eyes and whatever he had been scrutinizing her for he must have found it because he smiled smugly at himself and quickly nodded his head as if a suspicion had been confirmed.

She looked confused but he was not about to tell her anything, she had to figure this out on her own.

"It is good to hear you say such things. There were those of us who worried. You will see him again someday and you will realize once again that it was so much more than a dream. Maybe the next time you will stay where you belong. But as I said you have to discover such things for yourself. Until next time."

He bowed to her almost mockingly and she could only gape at him, lost for words, something that she was not used to. She always had something to say, but this man had thrown her off guard for some reason.

Before she could figure out the reason, he had come up out of the bow and nodded at her. She could have sworn his eyes had become more feline, but it must have been the way the light was reflecting off the water.

He walked past her, brushing his shoulder against hers. Before she could say a stern word to him about it he had become lost in the crowd of passengers still waving goodbye. She noticed that they were much further from the dock now but the people on the dock could still be made out.

She tried to push her way through the throng of people and was more often then not pushed back. She desperately tried to find the man but he was nowhere to be seen.

He could not have gotten off the ship of that she was sure. She was also sure she would see him on the ship again since there were only so many places he could be on a ship no matter how big it was. He had to come on deck again at some point during the trip, no one could stay below for the entirety of the trip.

She still felt an odd sensation at the way he had looked at her, the way he seemed to be sizing her up. He had been cryptic about something, somewhere she had been before but apparently had not stayed. Without a second thought about the strange occurrence, she went below deck to her room.

Even though it was one of the upper class rooms, something Lord Ascot had insisted on, it was still a tight fit. The room was about ten feet wide and ten feet long with a massive bed pushed into the far corner. She wondered how they had gotten it through the tiny door since she could barely squeeze through it herself.

She felt like she was too tall, the ceiling of the room grazing her head when she stood at her fullest, and she found herself daydreaming about a liquid that when one drank it they would shrink.

She laughed at the thought of such a thing, something that would be quite handy at this moment. Then the thought occurred to her, _What if you drank too much of it? Would you shrink until there was nothing left? If you don't shrink into nothingness how do you get back to your real size?_

She shook her head to clear it. She was always thinking such things and everyone had told her to keep such thoughts to herself, to not even think them in the first place. When they told her that, another thought would come to mind, one she wished she had the courage to say aloud, _What if no one had interesting thoughts? Then nothing new would be created and the world would be even more boring then it is right now._

Who would want to live in a world that was stagnant and no one thought anything new or different?

She actually shuddered to think of such a world and she had promised herself that she would never stop her strange thoughts. They made her who she was and her father did not seem to have a problem with his daughter thinking about strange things. He had encouraged her to think of such things and if he saw no problem with it then no one else should either.

There was a knock on her door that startled her out of her thoughts. She felt her heart beating wildly against her chest and she mentally scolded herself for allowing a simple knock to startle her so.

She opened the door and saw one of the crewmembers before her.

He touched the edge of his cap with two fingers as he said, "Just wanted to tell you dinner will be served shortly miss."

"Thank you."

He nodded and walked down to the next room where he repeated the statement. Alice closed the door and retreated into her room to wait.

She went to the bed and took out one of the many books she had brought for entertainment. She picked up a worn out copy of one her favorites. The title was hardly legible anymore and some of the pages were worn from her rereading and rereading them. She had read it at least ten times and showed no signs that she would ever stop reading it.

She slowly opened it and began to read,

_Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticize. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with._

Another knock alerted her that it was time for dinner and she sighed as she put the book down and left her room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Sure it's short but that doesn't mean it's not important ;) I hope I spelt the name right. Foreshadowing abundant.**

Iracebeth could not believe that she been banished by her younger, sickeningly sweet sister. The thought was enough to drive her insane if she dwelled on it for too long.

Then there was the issue of being stuck with Stayne, someone she thought she could trust, the same someone she thought had loved her. She had loved him right up until he had tried to kill her rather than be exiled with her. When the hatter had thwarted him he had then begged for his own death rather than be banished and chained to her side.

She would have to fix the situation, swing it to her advantage. Of course the inhabitants of Underland had been told not to go anywhere near her but there were those on the very outskirts of the kingdom who did not like the White Queen. It was to these various peoples that she now made her way.

There was also the problem attached to her wrist. She could not have him trying to kill her again and she certainly would never trust him again. She just had to think of a way to get rid of him in a way that he would not fight back.

She had decided almost instantly that she would punish everyone who had caused her downfall, the main one who would suffer was that Alice. She always had to stick her nose where it did not belong. It made her blood boil to think that curly haired up start of a girl had killed her jabberwocky.

She had to think of some way to get her here since there was the very real possibility that she wouldn't come back of her own accord. What was the best way to get her to come back?

Then she had an idea, an idea that would not only bring the girl to her but would hurt her sister deeply. She liked the thought of both of them suffering equally, it filled her with the kind of joy a child feels on Christmas Day before opening presents.

She rubbed her hands together with glee and disturbed Stayne who had been sleeping until then.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to move when I'm sleeping?" he asked irritably.

"Oh I'm sorry, didn't care."

He growled at her as he tried to situate himself in a more comfortable position, which she tried to hinder as much as possible.

"You are impossible."

"Only for you dear," she said the sarcasm dripping from her voice on the last word.

She could not wait for the day she could finally be rid of him and the day when Alice was groveling before her, begging for the life she held in her hand. She would love it, would draw it out as long as possible, make Alice believe she would not do it and then make her watch. Then it would be Alice's turn to meet her end.

She silently laughed at the thought of that day. She looked disdainfully down at Stayne and kicked him with her tiny foot.

"What now you wench?'

She suppressed the urge to yell off with his head and said in the scariest voice she could muster, "We're moving again."

"You never let me have a moment's peace do you?"

"You will soon have more than a moment of peace…more like an eternity…" she mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on let's go you sack of meat."

He pushed himself off the ground and raised himself to his full height, towering over Iracebeth.

She was not intimidated and merely glared at him as she began to walk away. He followed behind her as he thought of a way to get rid of her without alerting her to the fact he was trying to kill her. He would not make the same mistake twice.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Sorry about this but the chapter end was not to my liking before so I added more. I may go back to the other chapters but for now this one has been looked at. The next chapter is almost done so I will be posting it shortly.

Tarrant had begun his trade again as fast as was possible.

The White Queen had been patient with him but he had acted almost like a child, both happy at the prospect of working again and upset that the rooms were taking so long to build and furnish.

Everyday he would ask if his new rooms were prepared, everyday she would give him the same answer of almost. He would then look dejected with her answer as if just by asking the rooms would be completed.

He would then turn away from her and walk slowly away with a small pout on his features. She understood his enthusiasm, encouraged it since his mind seemed to be only interested in the completion of his rooms and not Alice.

What she didn't know was that he did think of Alice the moment after she said almost to him. He would always think about the way the White Queen seemed both exasperated and pitying all at the same time.

He had at this point convinced himself that Alice pitied him, she had almost the same look as the Queen when she looked at him during one of his rants. Sure they both calmed him down but the pitying look was still there and he didn't want anyone's pity.

Then he would think to himself that the only reason the White Queen wanted him to make her hats was because she pitied him. He would begin to get angry at the thought of her doing that, but he was always able to calm himself with the thought of making hats again. He did miss it.

When the rooms he was to use both for work and for living were complete he had completely immersed himself in his work.

He made any kind of hat design that came into his mind; big ones, small ones, feathered, ones with ribbons, some with gems, others of satin. He was never at a loss for material since anything he asked for he received.

The White Queen once again took to wearing hats and every now and then Tarrant would think she only did because she pitied him, but then she would say that she absolutely loved them and the way she said it made him think otherwise.

He worked so much that many times he would forget to stop either to eat or sleep. The White Queen worried that he did it on purpose, she really didn't put it past him that he would torture himself in such a way. He just blamed himself for too much; that day, that he was mad, Alice and anything else he could think of even if it had nothing to do with him.

One day when she had been taking a stroll outside she had heard shouting and a crash and her intuition told her it was Tarrant. He would sometimes knock things over in his haste to keep his hands synced with his ideas and he often spoke to himself. She found herself wondering when the last time was that he had gone outside.

She went up to his rooms to see if he would walk with her in the gardens, just to get him away for a little while. She knocked gently on the door and heard another crash come from behind it.

"One moment," a muffled voice called. There sounds of more things falling and begin shoved aside and finally he opened the door.

The room behind him was a mess and she wondered how it was at all possible for him to find anything.

She let the thought go and looked at Tarrant, he was disheveled more than usual; his hair even more wild, his clothes wrinkled, under his eyes even pinker from lack of sleep.

She shook her head in disappointment and said, "Tarrant I think it's time you took a break. Come take a walk with me in the garden. It's too nice a day to be inside."

He smiled at her and said, "If I stop I will think and I don't want to think right now. Down that road bad things wait."

He left the door open as he retreated into the room, tripping over what ever cluttered the floor.

The White Queen picked up her skirt and tried as best as she could to avoid stepping on anything or tripping over it.

"Tarrant a day off wont kill you…"

"But it will allow me to think…about everything I don't want to…"

"You have to face all these demons that you seem to keep inside you one day Tarrant. When you do, you won't feel or act like this."

He spun around at her with the rage beginning to rise in him, "What do you know about my demons?"

She did not want to make him angry so she didn't push the matter anymore, "Just come for a walk with me."

"Thank you but I would much rather finish what I'm working on…"

He began to cut the fabric he would need for his latest creation and ignored the White Queen as he once again became engrossed in his work.

She sighed and went on, "When will you allow yourself to think of Alice?"

He sucked in a breath as he inadvertently poked himself with a pin. He immediately put the wounded finger his mouth, he tasted blood and made a face.

"I will not think of her because down that road bad things wait…."

She looked at him sympathetically and he scowled as she said, "There is no way for me to help you not feel misery at her leaving, no potion I can make that will make the hurt less. But there is always hope, always Tarrant. Why can't you let yourself hope that she might come back to Underland? To you?"

"There is no hope, no shining beacon, no certainty that she will come back to Underland or me. And who can blame her? There is nothing here for her…nothing…nothing at all. We only seem to use her every time she comes here…even I am guilty of that…" he was trying hard to keep all the anger and hurt at bay but he never could hide his feelings.

"How did you use her?"

"….I just feel like I did….she was able to help me…."

"And you helped her but…you fell in love with her didn't you….and you don't know about her feelings since you never asked…" it was more a statement then a question.

He looked at her with eyes burning orange red, the Scottish accent thick, "Well it doesn't matter now does it? She chose! I'm sure she is playing with someone else's heart right now! Someone who is not mad like me! Who can offer her the world!"

The Queen looked at him in shock that he would say such a thing, that he would think so little of Alice.

"Tarrant I am tired of telling you that you are not mad," she could feel her own temper rising and she was trying very hard to keep it in check, "If you keep saying it then it must be true!" She was trying to keep her breathing under control but when he acted like this it just aggravated her to no end.

"I grow tired of this! Yes Alice made a choice but you have no idea what she felt or could be feeling right now since you never asked or told her your own feelings! Not everyone can read you!"

She turned on her heel before she did something she would regret later and left him to think about what she had said, if he even decided to.

He picked up the closest object and threw it across the room with a satisfying crash. He yelled at his reflection in the mirror as if he could scare himself away. He picked up something else and hurled it at the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

He saw a thousand faces looking at him, he saw a thousand set of red eyes burning at him, he saw a thousand reasons to hate himself. The more he looked at the person in the shards the more he began to feel the weight of what must be the world. His eyes slowly returned to their green, eyes that were now brimming with tears.

He sank to his knees and held himself up with his hands. He absentmindedly brushed the shards of glass out of the way not wanting to see himself anymore. The tears fell onto his bloody hands as he thought _How could anyone think I'm not mad?_

_The Queen doesn't think so…and neither does Alice…._

_Do not say her name!_

_Fine what shall I call her then?_

_Do not speak of her!_

_But she is a part of you…_

_Not anymore._

_But she is! She helped you in so many ways._

_And yet still she left! Why? Because I wasn't enough? Because she loved someone else?_

_I don't think either of those…_

_Then it was because I am mad and she only said I wasn't to try and make me feel better._

_But it did! Why cant you just be happy that no one thinks you are mad?_

_But if you think yourself mad doesn't that make you mad?_

_I grow tired of this like the Queen. You need to stop pitying yourself and deal with the fact that Alice left. The Queen did say there was the chance she would come back._

_She did…_

_So there you go! No one would come back to someone who was mad!_

_You have a point…._

_Now go get your hands fixed so you can work tomorrow._

He picked himself up from where he knelt on the ground, avoiding as much of the broken mirror as he could. As he walked out the door one of the servants stood waiting to go in and clean up the mess he had made. She curtsied to him and he nodded.

The girl knew not to touch anything else but the broken mirror, somehow Tarrant always knew when his things had been moved since there was a method to his madness. She had once made the mistake of moving things to their "proper" place and Tarrant had become angry the moment he went into the pristine room. He could not find anything since none of it was where he left it. He quickly began to tear things down and put them back in order when she had come back to his room with his afternoon tea.

He had turned on her so quickly she almost dropped the tray but somehow Tarrant had caught it just as she was about to let go of it. He had placed it on the table and then told her never to touch his things again. She would know a mess that needed to be cleaned up when she saw it.

The mirror was one of those messes and she began to sweep up the pieces and would have someone remove the frame later and bring in a new mirror.

Tarrant knew the girl would only touch the mirror and it was why he had willingly left when he saw her there, the girl knew about his room.

He walked down the long corridor of the palace that would eventually lead him to the infirmary. Now that he had calmed down his hands had begun to throb with pain, the blood already starting to dry as fresh blood continued to run. Now that he looked at the damage he could not believe the severeity of it, there were huge gashes, some were deep and some were no more than paper cuts. He thought he even saw glints of the glass in his flesh but he wasn't sure. All he wanted to do was to make the pain stop.

He began to walk faster, nearly knocking over half a dozen servants as he went. By the time he had reached the infirmary, most of the shallow wounds had stopped bleeding but the larger ones had not.

One of the nurses turned from what she was doing when she saw Tarrant enter out of the corner of her eye. When she saw his bloody hands she immediately rushed over and began to assess the damage.

She shook her head as she said, "Follow me."

He obeyed her, following her into one of the rooms where there was a table and two chairs. She closed the door and motioned for him to sit. She began to collect the supplies she would need and then set to work cleaning his hands of the dried blood, disinfecting the wounds, which made Tarrant hiss in pain, taking out the glass that was imbedded in most of the bigger wounds and then bandaging him up.

For the most part Tarrant sat still but sometimes the nurse would touch his hands in the wrong way and pain would course through them. He tried not to show his discomfort but he couldn't help sucking in a breath whenever this happened and the nurse would work more delicately around his broken flesh.

When she was done she got up to put the supplies away, Tarrant rose and made to leave but before he could she said, "Hold on a sec. I don't want you to use your hands too much for a few days."

He opened his mouth to say something but she held up a hand warding the comment off, "Don't argue with me. You have to keep the bandages on and clean or your hands won't heal right. I want you to come back tomorrow so I can look at them again and change the bandage. Think you can do that?"

He nodded in reply and then walked away wondering what he was going to do for the rest of the day if he could not work on his trade.

Then he remembered that the White Queen had said it was a beautiful day outside, something he never seemed to notice since he would always lose track of time in his rooms and for the most part never knew if it was day or night. It was better for him when he lost himself in such a way since all he thought about was the work that had to be completed.

He could feel his mind wandering now even as he felt the tingling of fatigue coming to the forefront. _When was the last time I slept?_ He couldn't for the life of him remember and he didn't worry himself about trying to recall that small insignifacnt detail. He decided he would take the White Queen's offer and go to the gardens, maybe she would be out there and he could walk with her.

He reached the huge double doors that led to the gardens of the White Queen's palace. They were open letting the cool summer air blow through the palace. He felt the wind caress his face, he closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling. It had been so long since he had gone outside he had almost forgotten how wonderful a place it was. The sun shone off the crystal clear pool where fish darted in and out the leaves. The flowers were blooming and letting off their fragrance, mingling together in a most pleasing way that made him even more drowsy.

The birds sang in the tree tops as they watched him walk below them towards a stone bench that was positioned in such a way that one could see almost all of the garden when you sat on it. He did so now and closed his eyes again when he heard the rustling of skirts and the patter of feet walking towards him. He smiled at the familiar sound of it all but when he opened his eyes the smile fell.

She was haloed by the sun, making her face indistinguishable and for a second he thought she had somehow returned but it was quickly drowned when the White Queen moved and was no longer a sillohuette.

"I see you took my offer anyway."

"I realized I needed to get out for a while…I haven't in a long time have I?"

"No. I'm surprised you even remembered what the outside world looked like. Do they hurt terribly?"

She gently picked up one his hands and stroked the bandage. He took his hand back as politely as he could with out yanking it away.

"They feel better but the nurse said I couldn't use them for a few days."

"Then you should use those days to rest. When was the last time you slept?"

"I asked myself the same thing not too long ago…"

"Did you have an answer?"

He shook his head and heard her sigh, "Tarrant you cant keep living like this. I thought after the first few months…"

"What?" he interrupted, his temper flaring already, "That I would forget?"

"No…that you would have let it go a little more…"

"I don't know how…"

She looked at his forlorn face that was draining of whatever anger had been building but a moment before. He became angry so easily these days.

"Come, let's not dwell on it anymore right now. We should be enjoying this fine day."

He looked about the garden and silently agreed with her, this was not a place for sorrow but for joy, a joy he felt himself being filled with.

"This is a soothing place…" he said to no one inparticular.

She had to agree with him, she had made sure the garden could be a place to come to and forget ones troubles at least for a little while. She was hoping that Tarrant would make a habit of coming here everyday even though she knew it was very unlikely.

The two sat next to each other, soaking in the garden. She could see Tarrant fighting off the urge to close his eyes, he was exhausted. She knew about the unorthodox hours he kept but there was not much she could do, she would not command him to sleep but if he continued in this way he would end up killing himself.

"Tarrant," he started at the sudden noise but quickly overcame it.

"Mmm," she could hear the fatigue in his voice now.

"Tarrant if you need to sleep then sleep."

"Not right now…it's too pretty outside…" his voice was getting softer and softer as he spoke.

She could see his head drooping down and finally his eyes closed, his breathing becoming rhythmic alerted her that he truly was asleep. She smiled to herself and was thankful that he had finally given in.

She let him sleep but stayed where she was to make sure no one would disturb him until he was ready to wake up.

_He was running. Running as fast as his legs would carry him and yet he was going nowhere._

_The huge shadow behind him was gaining fast and still his legs would not obey. Why was she chasing him anyway? There was no reason to. What did she want him for?_

_There was no one to help him. He gave up trying to run and turned to face the shadow. It had no distinguishable shape other than vaguely resembling a human. Whether female or male he could not tell._

_He looked up at where he supposed the creatures face should be and he heard the beginnings of a deep-throated laugh coming from the shadow. Soon it filled the whole space and he found himself covering his ears._

_Even with his ears covered the laugh was still painfully loud. It stopped suddenly and now the shadow spoke, still with a booming voice that seemed to shake the very fabric of reality._

"_Did you think you could escape me? I am all encompassing. No one can outrun me. I always get what I want and right now I want you little man."_

_Tarrant was frightened and could not say why, this thing in front of him filled him with forboding._

"_Who are you?"_

"_I go by many names, all created by the voices of man. I go by Valdis, Morana, Thanatos, Libitina, Azrael, Freyja, Tuoni, Anubis, Death. My true name is unknown to your kind and I will keep it that way for as long as I can."_

_Tarrant swallowed, why was Death saying he wanted him._

_Death chuckled again as heard Tarrant's thoughts, "I want you because it is your time, well almost your time. I have come mainly to prepare you for the inevitable."_

"_I'm going to die…" he said incredulously._

"_Everything dies, even the mightiest King will meet his fate someday, I am that fate. There is no escape from me. All paths lead to me, the journey is the only thing that differs. Your journey is nearing its end."_

_All of a sudden Tarrant felt himself falling through space, there was nothing to stop his fall and he was quickly approaching what he believed to be the bottom._

Tarrant jumped awake trembling still sitting next to the White Queen who was looking at him with worry in her eyes and all over her face.

He swallowed, his mouth all of a sudden very dry. He was breathing very heavily as if he had just run to get here, the sweat was dripping down his brow and he could feel it in the small of his back.

"Are you okay? You were mumbling in your sleep about dieing…"

He looked at her with wide eyes, afraid to tell her of what he remembered from the dream.

With halting breath he said, "I'm fine….just a dream…"

"Sometimes dreams are very powerful…"

He looked at the ground, the ground that was teaming with life both above and below. None of it was permanent though, what was the point if nothing was permanent? Why did things continue to live and thrive when the end result was always the same?

The White Queen put a soothing hand on Tarrant's shoulder, gently moving it a circular pattern. He liked the feeling but he couldn't stay here with these thoughts in his head.

He got up and blindly walked away, further into the garden to be alone. He knew that was probably not the best idea in his current state but he just couldn't deal with the White Queen right now, how she always seemed to look at the bright side of things. She would try to comfort him and he didn't want to be comforted at the moment, he wanted to think this through himself.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Sorry for the long delay but the semester is almost over and we all know what that means. This ended up being much longer then I thought it would be but I like the way it came out. You guys decide, love to hear what you think enjoy!

They walked from dawn until dusk every day, sometimes they were lucky to find food and clean water, which more often then not they went without. The days were long and hard on her since she was not used to any kind of labor and she had known there was a reason why she herself had never partaken in it, it was tiring.

They had been traveling for weeks now with out any sign of those she was looking for and she was not usually known as a patient woman and her limits were being tested now.

She would have preferred that her goody two shoes of a sister had killed her or better yet that the hatter had allowed Stayne to kill her. Death was far more appealing then spending every waking moment chained to a man she now despised with every atom of her being. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of revenge against Alice, that was the thought that always cheered her up and helped her endure the man she had to keep company with.

The more time she spent with him, which was every moment of every day, the more she wondered what she had seen in him to begin with. Why had she felt attraction or any other kind of feeling for this man? He wasn't even that good looking, especially not since he had lost his eye.

She remembered that day and she smiled now at what she believed to be cosmic justice. She had sent him to some village or other to put down a rebellion that she believed was in the works. He had razed the village and just as he was leaving to report to her of his success one of the villagers who he thought he had just slain, rose up out of the smoke from the fire. He had lashed out with a pitchfork, aiming for his abdomen but catching him in the eye. Stayne had quickly recovered from the blow and had quickly ended the life of the villager.

She couldn't help laughing at the thought that a commoner had bested him and that it was at her bidding that he had gone to the village and lost his eye in the process.

She looked to the wounded area now, he had somehow lost the heart patch, most likely he had removed it himself, and it was now covered with a scrap of cloth he had ripped off his shirt. No one but Stayne and her knew the real story behind the loss of his eye since he told everyone who asked and was willing to listen that he had lost it in a duel defending his honor.

Stayne saw out of the corner of his eye that Iracebeth was looking at him while trying not to look too obvious about it. There was a smile on her face, one of mirth and calculation and he felt himself shiver at the thought that she was scheming.

Being chained by her side was hell on earth, she never gave him a moment's peace and she still acted like she was a Queen. She had insisted the first few weeks that he continue to call her such things as "majesty" and "highness" but he had fought it every step of the way and had more often then not used her name. It irked her to no end and he would always try to slip it in even when it wasn't necessary.

Goading her was so easy just as it always had been,/ but due to their current situation it was even easier and the best part was there was nothing she could do, no one to complain to and no way to punish him. Other than just existing, that was punishment enough for him.

Walking with her was a chore and it took all of his will power not to break down. Her legs were much shorter than his and he often found himself having to slow down or else risk keeping his arm held out behind him in a most uncomfortable way.

He often found himself gnashing his teeth in frustration at the pace. If it had been up to him they would have been where ever they needed to be by now. She had not disclosed to him where they were going and she probably wouldn't but he knew they were going in a South West direction. They had avoided all the major settlements since they would have been run out of them anyway and Stayne found himself wondering where Iracebeth was going with such purpose.

No one was going to help them in any way, they were on their own, together. He felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine at the thought of living alone with Iracebeth for the rest of his life or hers. He often thought of ways to break away from her and possibly do away with her. He needed to do something before she did, he was going to survive this just as he had always survived before.

Iracebeth was lagging behind again and he jerked the arm that was attached to her, pulling her out of what ever she had been thinking about herself. She looked up at him with a look that would have made him back down before or risk losing his head, but now he just shot the same look back at her.

Her face now had shock on it and he smiled with glee and said, "You have no power anymore Iracebeth," she angrily stared at him for using her name.

"What have I told you about using my name?"

"You mean when you told me not to use it? Sorry wasn't really listening since what you say means nothing anymore Iracebeth."

Now she was the one gnashing her teeth. Her face had become beet red with anger and she felt the biggest urge to yell off with his head even if it wouldn't be acted upon, at least it would make her feel a little better.

She let it go though and picked up the pace so she was ahead of Stayne, now she jerked her chained arm to make him go faster and he rolled his eyes at her.

She was just like a child when she didn't get her way, another annoying thing about her that Stayne would be glad to be rid of.

Iracebeth missed being feared especially by this man, she had him wrapped around her finger at one point. _Or did I only think I did?_

That would be typical of Stayne, he was always plotting and scheming and had probably made her think he was wrapped around her finger when he really wasn't. It made her angry just thinking about it. She had trusted him the most and that made the truth hurt even more. She should have only trusted herself.

She did now and that was the main thing, there was no reason to dwell on the past and she wouldn't let something like that cloud her judgment again. With renewed vigor, she picked up the pace even more, wanting more then ever to find the outcasts of society that she knew existed.

They would help her, she hoped, through their need for revenge, which she hoped they harbored. Their settlements should be near now, they had past the last village of Underland a few days ago and the Unwanted were rumored to be about two days off from that.

The thing was that they often moved their location so they would not be discovered and forced to disband. They had given up on Underland society and had made their own and were ruled by a King. It was him she hoped to find and she was more then willing to beg if she had to for his help.

Stayne looked to her and wondered what had brought on the burst of speed. He wasn't complaining since the faster they got where they were going the sooner he would be rid of her but the only reason she would use so much energy was if it would give her something in return. They must be close.

All of a sudden a thought hit him about where they were heading. He had figured she would try to win over one of the smaller villages but she had ignored all of them and continued on with out so much as a backward glance. He had heard rumors though of those who no longer lived within Underland's societal bonds, a people who were thought to be only children's stories told to warn children about what would happen if they didn't obey.

_Iracebeth must think they exist_ he thought _that is so unlikely…and yet they may exist._

The more he thought about it the more he doubted they were just children's stories. If they did exist they would most likely flock to Iracebeth with the promise of them being a part of Underland and having their voices heard. She would promise that but it would never happen, but they would welcome them with open arms. Any outcast was welcome no matter their background. He just had to win some of them over before she did or he would never be rid of her.

Iracebeth was almost bouncing with joy as she began to see signs of a village. There were footprints crisscrossing a dirt path, there was smoke in the distance and she knew it had to be the Unwanted. No one else lived this far away from the "normal" settlements of Underland.

She would soon be free from Stayne and that thought alone made her walk with even more speed. For the first time on the long journey, she was dragging him and he seemed to be content with the pace he was going and refused to go any faster. She tried to pull him along but he was much stronger then her so she was walking as fast as he would allow. The fact he was setting the pace irked her even though he had been the one to set the pace before.

They finally began to see people, people who were filthy and looked under nourished. They looked at the pair, handcuffed, better dressed and better fed than them. Instead of the open arms Iracebeth was expecting she only received hate filled looks and others who ran in fear from them. Stayne could barely hide his smile at Iracebeth's face, _not what she had expected the greeting to be _he thought. _Haha she thought they would fawn over her as people used to have to do in order to stay alive._

She walked further into the village before she was stopped by three of the villagers, big, muscular men with home made spears, only wood that was sharpened at the end. She was taken back by the hostility in their stance and wondered what had warranted such a reaction from them.

They lowered their weapons and one of them who must have been the leader asked, "What do you want?"

She bristled at the way he said it but she answered evenly, "We have been banished by the White Queen and have come here to live."

The leader of the three looked suspiciously at her with a critical eye and then sized up Stayne.

She put on her most regal face and looked down her nose at him and said with all the authority she could muster, "I am the Red Queen."

The trio laughed and with tears of mirth in his eyes the leader said, "Do you think that because we no longer live in your society that we are unaware of what happens there? We know you are the Red Queen."

The confusion was clear on her face, "Then why am I greeted with hostility?"

"The White Queen said no one was to aid you."

"Since when do you do what the White Queen says?"

"We do not wish to incur her wrath…"

"If you're living here doesn't that mean you already did?" Stayne asked from where he stood.

"Yes…but we don't wish to further incur it."

Iracebeth was getting angry again and she began to walk past the guards, once again dragging Stayne behind her.

"I will see your King," she said, "He will want to see me."

The guards rushed in front of the two and once again pointed their weapons at the pair, forcing them to stop.

"He was the one who sent us to tell you that you are not welcome here," the leader said forcefully, letting the disdain lace his voice.

"I highly doubt that…did he know who it was?"

"I believe he did."

"Enough!" A booming voice said.

The voice belonged to a huge man, both tall and wide but not with fat, it was all muscle. He was intimidating and he knew it, something he used to his advantage. He used it now to intimidate Stayne into lowering his stance a bit, the only reason Stayne did was because he did not wish to start anything with this man since he knew he would lose.

The man looked down at Iracebeth as if she was an insect and she felt herself squirm under his gaze. He smiled to himself that he affected her in such a way. He loved the rush of power it gave him to know others were afraid of him and would willingly do as he said for fear of what he might do. He knew the small woman in front of him had felt a similar rush before her fall from power.

He just stood there letting the look of worry on Iracebeth's face stay for a moment, then he saw it deepen more into the realm of fear and finally he could see the impatience underneath it all. He chuckled to himself that this woman had not lost her spirit along with her crown. Like her, he had reason to despise the White Queen not only for banishing him but destroying his life. He had begged her to kill him but she had taken that damn vow that prevented her from doing so. He thought her weak because of it and in his new society he had no problem dispensing death where it was deserved.

He had started this settlement far away from her jurisdiction and had made his own world with his own rules. With the former Red Queen in front of him a plan to put her back on the throne began to form in his mind, she was a much better suited ruler then the White Queen. He would help Iracebeth with what she wanted and he would make himself her advisor and then eventually marry her and become King of all Underland. He would make such changes, changes the Underground had never seen before.

Iracebeth was still fidgeting under his gaze more out of annoyance now and he could not help smiling. He would mold her for his own use and she would not know what had hit her.

"Apologies for the rude welcoming," he bowed mockingly to her but she didn't notice that, only the fact that someone was bowing to her again, someone who was a king in his own right.

The looks on all those gathered was priceless and he once again smiled to himself. It was true he had told the guards to do exactly as they had done but it was all for show.

Iracebeth recovered first and held herself up as high as she would go, her nose upturned she looked at him down her nose and critically looked at him as he had done a moment ago. She hesitated for a moment as if she had to think hard whether to forgive him or not.

"Merely a mix up I'm sure."

The huge man stood up from his bow and held out his hand clasping her tiny one in his huge one as he said, "We haven't been properly introduced, I am King Diprosopus ruler of this community that is known to you as the Unwanted."

He kissed her hand as was tradition, he lingered over it as if it was a holy relic and Iracebeth could feel herself blushing. Stayne only rolled his eyes at the obvious way this man was toying with her, he himself had done something similar the first time he met her. She loved the attention, soaked it up and it could be used easily against her. If you knew how to play with her you could get anything you wanted out of her. Stayne was surprised she still hadn't learned her lesson.

"I am pleased to meet you King Diprosopus. I am the Red Queen also known as Iracebeth which you may call me if you wish."

Stayne tried very hard to keep his mouth closed so he would not look the fool, Iracebeth never allowed anyone to use her name. Maybe the fall from power had gotten to her.

"Iracebeth," he said her name with a hint of awe in his voice as if it was the most beautiful name he had ever heard, "Thank you for the courtesy. Now come, you must be tired. You and your man can stay with me….and we'll see what we can do about those handcuffs."

Stayne bristled at being called Iracebeth's man but he held his tongue. Iracebeth smiled to herself to see Stayne react in such a way, maybe he would remember his place once again. She began to follow Diprosopus down what must have been the main street if it could be called such. It was not paved, only a dirt path which was about twenty feet wide lined on both sides with houses made of mud and sticks.

Iracebeth imagined what this place must be like when it rained and hoped that she would not be here long enough to find out. Some of the people looked curiously at the new arrivals while others gathered up their children and vacated the main thoroughfare. Some of them did not agree with their king but they had no choice but to live with his decision to take in this couple, to speak against him was a death sentence.

King Diprosopus walked until the main road began to narrow, as they had been walking Iracebeth could see a monstrous structure looming in the distance, which she guessed must be his castle. From what she could see it looked to be made of stone not sticks. As they got closer the full scale of his castle was made clear. It was a half the size of her own palace and she wondered how he been able to make it.

"Welcome to Castle Tenebrae."

"It's magnificent," Iracebeth breathed, "How were you able to build it?"

"If offered the right compensation the villagers will do anything for me. They not only transported the rock themselves they also built it to my specifications."

"What was the compensation?" Stayne asked.

Diprosopus turned to look him in the eye and smiled like a cat that has cornered a mouse, "Their compensation was their lives. Now come. We shall get you settled."

Stayne looked to Iracebeth who had a look of wonder on her face, she obviously liked the way Diprosopus worked, he was ruthless, a trait that Iracebeth thought she had owned and still possessed.

They followed him into the castle, they were greeted with a huge expanse of room that had intricate tapestries covering almost every inch of the stonewalls. They depicted different things, some were mythological stories of Underland and some looked like the creation of the village of the Unwanted, which had been dramatized.

Iracebeth was impressed at the decadence around her considering where she was and what she had just seen to get here. He did not want for anything as the villagers did, what he wanted he got.

He barked out an order and a small, frail looking woman came rushing forward. She quickly lowered herself to her knees and said with deference, "What does my lord wish?"

He turned his head to smile at Iracebeth, showing off his sway over his people. He looked down at the woman kneeling in front of him and said, "We need the master blacksmith to take off their shackles."

"You command I obey," she quickly rose and walked as quickly as she could with out running to do as her king said. The faster she completed the task the less chance there was of him punishing her for being lazy.

"While that is being taken care of I will show you your rooms."

"That would be most welcome," Iracebeth said as she batted her eyes.

Stayne rolled his eyes at the way she was throwing herself at him. He obviously was playing her and anyone could see that, but not Iracebeth, never Iracebeth.

Diprosopus walked further into the castle leading them to a huge staircase made entirely of black marble. What made it most impressive was the gradual spiral it made until it reached the second level.

The trio ascended the stairs, the various servants and workers in the castle bowing to them as they went. Iracebeth loved the attention, the attention she had not received for who knew how long.

Diprosopus stopped at the first door on the landing, a huge ornately carved door that looked to be made of oak. On it was carved more stories, this one depicting Diprosopus hunting a doe on a magnificent horse.

"This will be your room Iracebeth, your man's room is adjacent to yours and connected by a door."

Stayne cringed but perked up at the thought that he would have access to her room while she slept.

Diprosopus opened the door to the room so Iracebeth could see inside. The walls were completely covered by tapestries, the floor had rugs of the finest quality with intricate designs, and the bed was huge with heavy quilts draped on it.

"It is a beautiful room and will be fine," Iracebeth said as if she had any choice in the room she chose.

Diprosopus bowed his head to her and said, "I will have the servants prepare a bath for you and some new clothes brought up. Hopefully they will be to your liking."

"If they are anything like the rest of this place I believe they will serve me just fine."

The woman from before knocked on the door and said, "Pardon the intrusion. The master blacksmith is waiting for you downstairs."

"Very good. Come we shall get you out of those."

Iracebeth sighed in relief as they descended the staircase. At the bottom stood a burly man who was of average height and held a wooden box with various tools of his trade in it.

He bowed to his king while he asked, "How can I be of service my king?"

Diprosopus waved his hand in the general direction of Iracebeth and Stayne, "They have been chained together and require your services to right the situation."

"Yes my king, that should be fairly simple."

He approached the two with his tools, setting them down and rifling through them until he found the one he was looking for.

He quickly set to work and had them free of each other with in moments. Iracebeth rubbed the wrist that had been bound in the iron, it was raw from rubbing against it and looked like it might be infected.

Stayne had suffered a similar fate and Diprosopus stepped towards Iracebeth, "Let me see."

She held out her wrist as he inspected it, "That wound looks angry. My physician will look at it right away."

Before he even needed to ask, the servant woman was on her way to fetch the physician. Stayne had a feeling though he would not receive such an offer. He would have to do what he could to keep the wound clean and free of infection, he knew that such a wound as this one could quickly end up becoming fatal.

After Iracebeth's wrist had been tended to she went back up to her room where a bath had been drawn for her. She could hardly wait to clean off all the grime that had accumulated on her body while she had been traveling.

She wanted to look her best tonight at dinner so when she asked Diprosopus to help her, he would be more willing to do so. She knew he harbored anger towards her sister, just not how far he would go with his anger. She was hoping it would be far enough that he would help her capture the White Queen and all within her palace.

She would have to do something to get rid of her sister, something permanent since she couldn't risk her sister doing the same to her.

After cleaning herself up Iracebeth felt much like her old self especially after she had dressed in the clothes provided to her. It was a long flowing gown of the deepest maroon that hugged her frame until the waist where it billowed out around her legs.

She was escorted by one of the staff to the dining hall, which was a massive room with a long table that was decorated with gold vases full of wild flowers and was set with gold dinning ware. How was it he was able to have all these luxuries?

She really didn't want to know the answer, she didn't really care. She walked to where Diprosopus was holding out a chair for her. She sat and he pushed in her chair and then took his own seat.

He poured her some wine and offered it to her, "The best vintage I can offer."

"I'm sure it is."

"Now, let's get down to why you are really here."

Iracebeth choked on the wine, trying to hide the fact that she was, it didn't work. Diprosopus stared at her waiting for her to pull herself together so she could tell him.

"What makes you think I have a motive for being here?"

He chuckled deep in his throat, "I know how your mind works. You would not risk traveling so far with a man who you despise and very likely wants to kill you without wanting something. The only thing I have to ask is why should I help you?"

She looked at him, trying to see anything she could in his face, it was a blank mask.

"I came to ask your help with my revenge against my sister and Alice."

"Ah yes, Alice. We heard about that. Defeated your jabberwocky if I'm not mistaken."

Iracebeth clenched her hands, felt her nails digging into her flesh but ignored it.

"Yes, she did."

Diprosopus leaned back in his chair, "So what do you want me to do? The girl is no longer in Underland."

"She will come back to me, when she learns I have taken something she holds dear."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "You have something she loves?"

"No but I will."

"What makes you think she loves something here? If she had she would have stayed."

"Fine then something she cares about. Something she would never want to see harmed. Trust me on that little fact. She has proven it before."

"Interesting. What would you do about the current Queen?"

"Get rid of her!"

"Your own flesh and blood?"

"Especially my own flesh and blood. She took what rightfully belongs to me and for that she must be done away with."

"Mmm…I'm intrigued. What would you need me for though?"

"I need to somehow get into the palace in order to take what Alice cares about."

"That can be arranged…what of the White Queen?"

"Do what you want with her."

"You don't want to do it yourself?"

She smiled menacingly, "It is my gift to you. Take her and do what you will with her."

Now it was his turn to smile menacingly as he thought about getting his hands on the White Queen, hands that would wrap around her neck and squeeze the life out of her.

"I accept. How many will you need?"

"Enough to cause a big enough distraction for me to get into the palace without being detected. Some will have to come with me to subdue what I need to get…"

"What exactly are you trying to get?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Something that she cares for and I hate."

"You aren't going to tell me."

"Don't you like surprises?"

"Usually no."

"I think you might like this one."

"Do I get to play with it?"

"If by play you mean torture then of course. What do you take me for?"

"I like the way you think! Now, other than me getting to destroy the White Queen and helping you torture someone, what else do I get out of this bargain?"

She arched an eyebrow, "Isn't that enough?"

"I might lose some of my people too…"

"What did you have in mind?"

He immediately answered, "Make me an advisor."

She glared at him with venom in her eyes, "If you know of the things that happen in Underland then I am sure you are aware that the last bunch of advisors I had were liars all of them."

"I did know."

"And still you want to be an advisor?"

He nodded slowly, "I am not like the ones before that you called advisor."

"Done. But if you betray me it will end badly."

"I would not have it any other way."

There was something in the way he said it that made Iracebeth shudder but she had no name for the reason why and even if she did she would have shrugged it off as she did now. She had nothing to lose but everything to gain through an alliance with the man sitting next to her, she would make him believe that she would give what she promised but give no such thing to him or anyone else. She would never trust anyone again in the way she had before her downfall.

Which brought her to the next topic of conversation, but before she could start it Diprosopus said, "Now that that is taken care of, lets move onto your man. I can see the look in his eye, he is no more loyal to you than I am actual royalty."

"You would be right. He has turned on me more than once…"

"Why does the term 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' come to mind?" he cut in.

She slowly turned her head to look at him, she scanned his face, she turned her attention to the table and delicately picked up the goblet of wine that she had ignored until now.

After sipping from it she said, "This is a very fine wine…I wonder if my man," she spat the word, "would like to try some."

Diprosopus' eyes lit up with understanding and he gestured to one of the servants in the shadows who quickly walked to his side, bowed and asked, "My Lord wishes for more?"

"No, no but I do wish for the Lady's man to join us for dinner."

The servant bowed again and went off to do as his master pleased. Once again Diprosopus beckoned and yet another servant rushed forward. This time Diprosopus whispered what he wanted, the fewer who knew about this the better. All the attending servants would have to be killed since he couldn't have traitors among him.

* * *

Stayne was surprised by the knock on the door, in a few long strides he was at the door. The attendant looked as if he had run up the stairs since he was breathing heavily but trying to hide it.

In a rush he said, "My Lord wishes you to attend dinner with him and your Lady."

He audibly ground his teeth at not only having this servant say he belonged to Iracebeth but having in be in the same room with her.

The servant saw Stayne hesitate and continued, "It would be wise to do as my Lord wishes…."

"Yes, yes. Just give me a minute," he said with the aggravation barely hidden.

He had, the first moment he was able, cleaned himself up and changed into the clothing provided, he only needed to brace himself for an evening that had just gone from relaxing to interminable.

Within a few moments he was walking down the marble stairs with the servant leading the way. They continued into the dining hall where he was confronted with the huge table with both Iracebeth and Diprosopus, making them both look small and insignificant.

Stayne walked down the length of the table, Diprosopus stood as he approached and said, "I am so sorry."

This made Stayne stop in his tracks for an instant but he quickly regained himself and continued towards Diprosopus. He stopped a few feet away from him with a confused look on his face, "Why are you sorry?"

Diprosopus gestured at the table, "That somehow the servants forgot to extend the invitation I had given for you to join us for dinner."

"But I am only a lowly man servant myself," Stayne said with added emphasis as he looked to Iracebeth who looked him straight in the eye.

"I explained to Diprosopus exactly who you are…"

"Did you now?" he asked quizzically, arching the eyebrow over his good eye.

She nodded in a mocking way, Diprosopus came between the two and gestured to the chair on his other side, "Come, sit. We will eat now."

He snapped his finger and a servant brought forth a goblet and extra place setting. Stayne haltingly sat down as he looked back and forth between the two. The same servant filled the goblet to the brim with a deep red wine that Stayne looked at critically as he leaned to the side as a plate heaped with food was placed in front of him.

Diprosopus and Iracebeth started to eat what was already in front of them and seemed to make a show about drinking the wine. Stayne felt a sense of foreboding but could feel Diprosopus looking at him.

"Is the food and wine not to your liking?"

"No it is…I just wasn't expecting to be invited…"

"Come now," Iracebeth said with a mouth full of half chewed meat, "How could we ever forget about you?"

He glared at her but said nothing as Diprosopus said, "We are all friends here…a toast," he raised his goblet as did Iracebeth. When Stayne did not raise his own, Diprosopus motioned for him to do so. With hesitation and a sinking feeling in his gut, Stayne took the goblet in his hand and raised it.

Diprosopus smiled and continued, "A toast! To this great land! May it always exist in splendor and grandeur!" He took a large swill from his goblet. Some of the liquid dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. Iracebeth noticed but otherwise ignored his indecency and drank some of the wine. Stayne still hesitated but raised the goblet to his lips to take a drink so as not to look ungrateful for the hospitality.

When he had swallowed the wine, he could have sworn there was some flavor that should no be there, it was too sour. Diprosopus smiled and continued on with his toast, "And also," he turned all his attention to Stayne, "To you Stayne. May your end come quickly."

He took another large gulp as Iracebeth laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Stayne looked like he had been socked in the stomach, his eyes wide in horror as what had just been said sunk into his mind, a mind that seemed all of a sudden very sluggish. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and it was all of a sudden very hard to breathe as if someone was sitting on his chest.

"Very fast acting isn't it?" the voice seemed to echo in his mind, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. The view began to swim in front of him as the disembodied voice continued, "Amazing flower the Anemone. You'll be dead in a few moments. It doesn't hurt…much."

Stayne felt like he was on fire, it seemed to start in his stomach and travel out from there, consuming his body in heat and pain. He tried to flee from it, to do something about it but could not move any part of his body.

Stars burst behind his eyes and he felt the world begin to spin, slow at first and then faster and faster. He couldn't think about anything other than the pain, then on the edge of his consciousness he felt something cold on his feverish skin as his throat began to close up.

Iracebeth leaned over his shoulder, "It is better to be feared than loved. You taught me that in the cruelest way and now I am exacting punishment with that in mind."

His eyes began to cloud over, the darkness taking over, promising release from the earthly pain. His body struggled to get air, started bucking as it tried to fight off death but finally something snapped in his mind and all encompassing night took over, took away the pain.

Stayne sat still, his mouth open in silent pain and from the struggle to breathe. His eyes were wide with both pain and shock at what had transpired. Iracebeth smiled in triumph and Diprosopus pointed to the still warm body that was until just now Stayne and said to anyone who would listen, "Clean that up."

Two servants rushed forward and half carried half dragged away his body. Diprosopus turned to Iracebeth, "I believe we have work to do."


	6. Chapter 6

**I know it has been a while since I last posted...well anything. Those of you who have read this so far I thank you for your patience and I am glad to say that I am once again writing. There's really no excuse why I haven't other then having school, work and then just being too tired to open the file. I hope those of you waiting for an update on this story won't be disappointed with this next chapter.**

**•••**

Alice ended up traveling on the ship that would take her to the East for almost 6 months, which many of the veteran sailors said usually took about three times longer if one was lucky. They had had favorable winds throughout the entire voyage though with only one minimal squall that had threatened to tear the ship apart.

The waves had buffeted the ship, tossing it from swell to swell as a child tosses a ball. One of the sails had been ripped in two as the crewmen had desperately tried to furl them back up in an attempt to prevent such a thing from happening.

All the passengers had been told to stay in their rooms in relative safety and so they would not hinder the crew as they tried to make sure the ship survived the storm. Alice and all the other passengers were tossed about in their rooms, Alice had never been more frightened in her entire life. This was her first sea voyage and though she had every confidence the crew would keep the ship afloat, she could not help feeling trepidation that she would never set foot on land again. For the entire length of the storm, she tried not to dwell on such things but the more pressing matter of keeping the contents of her stomach where they belonged.

She had curled up on the top of the sheets, trying to convince her mind that the wild rocking was not a force that at any moment could capsize the ship. She had somehow managed to fall into a deep and troubled sleep, plagued with dreams that she could not remember when she woke up. All she was left with was the feeling she was supposed to be somewhere, but not the somewhere where she was now. It was a pull on her very being that became stronger when she was asleep but was still present when she was awake.

When she opened her eyes, she immediately noticed how quiet it was, the waves were no longer crashing against the side making it reverberate through the entire ship. She also noticed that the ship's erratic rocking had ceased, making it much easier for her to stand without the possibility of being thrown every which way.

There was a knock on the door of her cabin and on unsteady legs she went to open it. A tall, rugged man with eyes of deepest green stood in the doorway. When he saw her ragged state, he averted his eyes down, Alice rolled her eyes at this.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I came to tell you we will be arriving soon."

She couldn't believe what he was telling her, they were at their destination all ready? He saw the bewilderment in her eyes and added, "The storm actually helped speed things along rather then hinder us. It pushed us in the right direction the whole duration."

Alice couldn't believe how lucky she was, she was not comfortable at sea and the shorter the journey the better. That pulling feeling was becoming a nuisance, making her feel like she should conduct what business she needed to and then leave as soon as her responsibilities would allow. She longed for home, wanting nothing more then to walk to grounds of her home and become lost in the beauty of the gardens.

She suppressed the sudden urge to find a ship heading back for England immediately and instead began to get ready to disembark. She put down her feelings as nothing more then wanting to get off the ship and plant her feet on firm ground once again.

When she had packed away all her belongings, one of the crewmembers took them above for her. She followed him up the small flight of stairs that lead to the deck and was thankful that she would not have to worry about traversing something so small at least until she had to go home.

She watched as the men hustled about doing this and that, preparing for the docking in the Hong Kong harbor. Alice felt elation and curiosity fill her at this foreign place that she would call home while she helped to set up trade routes here, fulfilling her father's dream and helping the company all at the same time. Even though she felt nervous, this feeling was drowned out by the others and she knew it would be quite the experience of a lifetime.

What she was met with however was not what she had envisioned this far off place to be. When they finally docked, the smell that greeted her was even worse then that of London and with months of only smelling the fresh ocean air, she had to try very hard to keep the contents of her stomach in her stomach.

She had had grand illusions of what the orient would like, people dressed in fine silk, women with long flowing black hair but this was not the sight that greeted her. Once again her imagination had run off with her and had deluded her. These were the working people like those in England, they had no need and no money for fine silk. Even though her mind told her this, it made her elation deflate and she found herself asking what exactly she was doing here.

The people who saw her walking down the plank of the huge vessel that had brought her here were wondering the same thing. They rarely saw white people dressed in such finery coming off a ship and even when they did it was not young women unaccompanied by a man. This woman must be very brave to be on her own or very foolish.

Alice was thinking the exact same thing when she could hear her name being called from far off, it was so faint that she thought to have imagined it until she heard the same voice calling the same thing again but this time closer. Alice looked around and saw nothing but oriental faces looking at her as if she was the plague incarnate, refusing to meet her gaze and even going so far as to not touch her or her clothes.

Then Alice saw a man waving his hat frantically in the air trying to get someone's attention while simultaneously trying to push the people in his way to the side so he could get through. When he saw Alice looking in his direction he smiled and called her name again.

Alice was confused as to how he could possibly know her name until she remembered this must be the man who was awaiting her arrival. She picked up her skirts and tried to make her way toward him.

He looked relieved when she finally made it over.

"For a moment there I was worried you wouldn't make it over or risk it since you have no idea who I am."

He smiled at her, a genuine smile that even reached his eyes. He was silent for a moment as he looked her over. Alice felt a tad uncomfortable as his gaze drifted all over her body, his look one that she had seen before from other men when ogling women.

"My eyes are up here," Alice said while she pointed to her eyes.

His eyes snapped up, his cheeks becoming red, "Indeed they are."

There was an uncomfortable silence, which Alice filled to the man's great relief.

"I don't think I caught your name…"

"I didn't give it."

Alice looked at him expectantly but when she saw he was not forth coming she asked, "And what, pray tell, is your name?"

"Ah…yes… sorry. I am Lord Drakon. Lord Ascot sent a message ahead of you asking me to retrieve you and your things while you set up the necessary…business routes. I thought he must be mistaken when he said it would be a woman he was sending on such an endeavor."

"And why is that?" Alice asked, barely hiding the contempt she already felt towards this man.

He looked at her as if it was obvious why he thought it was unusual and a blunder to send a woman to do a man's job. Alice just stood there waiting for an answer to her question and Lord Drakon could see she would not be satisfied until she had one. _How typical of a woman_ he thought.

"I thought he was mistaken seeing as you are a woman sent to do a man's job. A job I easily could have managed seeing as the heathens of this country think alike as to the proper place of a woman."

"And my proper place is what exactly? Doing everything a man deems I should simply on the basis that he is a man and I no more then a woman, which therefore makes the opposite sex smarter then me in every respect? I think not."

She did not give him the chance to say anything, even though it was unlikely he would have thought of a response since his expression was one of pure surprise at the audacity of this woman. He had never had any woman speak to him like she just had and he had no idea how to act in the situation since he was used to women who knew their place and stayed in it. He would not enjoy working with this woman one little bit, at that thought he gave an inward moan. He would have to work with a woman. Well things were about to get interesting.

•••

Alice didn't look back to see if he was following her, she rather hoped that he would catch up and show her the way to where ever it was they were meant to go. She had no idea what she was doing, she was just walking away, hoping she had won that small battle of wills with him and he would no longer doubt her abilities. She felt a tap on her shoulder as he finally caught up with her.

He gave her a dashing smile and held out his arm to her, "I believe we got off on the wrong foot. Now, if you don't wish to become lost, I would suggest coming with me."

Alice hesitated at the complete turn around in his attitude, she would have to tread carefully with him.

She linked arms with his and said, "I appreciate it Lord Drakon."

"Come now. If we are to work together we should not be so formal with one another. My name is Braeden."

"Well Braeden, I appreciate your help."

He smiled again and led her through the crowded streets of Hong Kong. It reminded her very much of the crowded and dirty streets of London, and even though the people looked vastly different, they were going about their lives as any Englishmen would. Alice wondered to herself why Lord Drakon had called them heathens.

"What did you have in mind to accomplish exactly?"

Alice looked up at Lord Drakon, Braeden she reminded herself. He was a good head taller then her with crystal blue eyes that held something deep in them that Alice cringed away from. His hair of midnight black was closely cropped to his head but she could tell that if he did let it grow out it would have been curly. She could feel the heat radiating off of him as she continued to hold his arm, she could not remember being so close to a man unaccompanied, but there was a flash of a memory. It was there one second and gone the next of an unusual man who had been very close to her on more then one occasion with no chaperone present. It bothered her that she could not remember fully, it was there just below the surface, it felt like a dream. A dream that she could not remember for the life of her, a dream she desperately wanted to since it came with the feeling that it was important that she recall what had happened in that dream.

She was snapped out of her musings by Lord Drakon gently shaking his arm. He looked down at her with concern evident in his gaze.

"I thought I had lost you to your thoughts for a second…did you have any idea of how to accomplish this feat?"

"I have a vague idea of how to accomplish my goal but I have no idea who to begin with which is where you come in."

"I know of no one who would be willing to go into a venture such as this with a woman. As I said, the people of this country and those who now call this place home have a specific place for women and it is not in business that only men should conduct."

"You're very threatened by me aren't you?"

He looked at her as if she had just spoken to him in a foreign tongue.

"I have no reason to be threatened by a mere woman. Now, I will help you by telling those you wish to be a part of this deal what it is we plan to do. If you so desire you can come up with the proposal that will need to be signed. Everything else should be left to me."

"All I need you to do is point me towards the right people. If those people are not open minded enough to hear the idea from a woman then they are certainly not open minded enough to imagine the scope of this business deal."

He gritted his teeth and tried not to show outwardly how angry he was becoming with this so-called woman who had been dumped in his lap. When he had received that message, he had crumpled it up in anger, hardly believing that Lord Ascot would not trust him enough to go through with this. He had proven himself endlessly over the years in the employ of Lord Ascot and it had been implied that he would one day become an equal partner in the company. Now this woman, who had no right to be involved in economics, had stepped in to take his place, something he would not sit by idly and let happen. He would teach this mere girl what it meant to be a part of a man's world, a world where women were only good for marriage and raising a family.

Barley hiding the contempt and anger he felt he replied, "Very well. But I must warn you, you won't get very far without the assistance I have offered. No man wants to do a business deal with a woman. The deal would be doomed to failure."

"If you say so. Now, where will I be staying?"

She dropped his arm as he began walking again. He hailed a carriage and as Alice climbed into it, he threw her luggage into the back and quickly ascended and sat opposite of her. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window, not making any eye contact with her and obviously wanting to speak to her no more.

Alice knew something like this was bound to happen, people never did like change and for someone like Lord Drakon she was sure it was life altering. In his world, a woman did not dare to dream of what she dreamed, to come all this way alone and to try to do things without the crutch of a man. She was not like most women and from what she had seen she had no wish to be like most women, trapped in a marriage that meant nothing, with a man who only saw her as a way to carry on the family name. In this world, only men amounted to something and Alice thought it was time for that to change. She would show not only the men but the women as well, that women were a force to be reckoned with when given the chance.

But she wanted to get this done quickly. She knew she didn't belong here, she wanted to go home to England. It was like something was pulling her back, calling to her to come home as quickly as possible.

She was starring out at the countryside, not really taking in any details, only seeing a blur of color. The rocking of the carriage was slowly putting her to sleep and she gave into it.

•••

The setting was at once familiar and strange, the trees odd colors, the plants unusual, the creatures similar to real ones and yet different. She walked further into this strange land, looking around her, trying in vain to get her bearings, figure out where she was. The insects buzzed around her head, she swatted them away in annoyance. The more she walked the more she seemed to not go anywhere. She was no closer to anything.

She began to run but still she went nowhere. She could feel eyes on her from every angle, eyes that threatened and adored. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a figure behind a warped tree. The figure saw her looking and immediately sought shelter behind the tree again. She began to walk forwards, actually gaining ground rather then moving nowhere, the tree became bigger with each step. She walked behind the tree but saw no one there.

"Odd…"

She could have sworn there was someone there a moment ago but there wasn't even an indication that anyone had been standing there. She looked up and a few paces away was the figure. She could not make out anything other then the general shape, that he was a man but nothing more. His head hung down, he looked as if he might collapse at any moment and she felt her stomach clench in panic and her heart constrict with fear.

She raced towards him as he began to fall, she caught him and guided him to the ground holding his head in her lap, unconsciously rocking him back and forth and making soothing noises.

He looked up at her, raising his hand to her face, cradling it and wiping away tears she had not realized she had spent.

"Alice…?" the voice that came from his form was weak, broken, no more then a whisper but no less familiar. She knew that voice, it was important, meant so much to her that it hurt.

She cradled his head to her body, continuing her rocking, the tears falling on his head as his hand fell from her face and his breath came out in one last gust.

•••

Alice felt herself being shaken awake. Her eyes flew open, her hands grasping at her now empty lap. The tears still came unbidden, rolling down her cheeks and soaking into her dress, she tried to get her bearings. She realized she was in a carriage, the countryside still passing by in a blur outside the tiny window. Lord Drakon looked at her quizzically while fishing in his coat for a handkerchief which he offered to her. She gladly took it, dabbing at her eyes as her mother had taught her to do. She suddenly found herself thinking why must a lady dab at her eyes? Why don't men ever seem to cry? I'm sure they have reason to sometimes yet they never do.

Lord Drakon cleared his throat. Alice jumped at the small noise, holding out her hand to give his handkerchief back. He declined it with a shake of his head, "You keep it…if it's not too bold may I ask what were you dreaming about to warrant such a reaction?"

She stared at him debating whether or not to tell this man, a stranger, about a dream that felt too personal to even tell her mother if she ever had the inclination to do so.

"That is too bold sir," she looked away from him, out the window trying to make sense of the scenery. He merely looked at this girl who had openly shown her feelings to him even if she had been dreaming. The emotions had played across her face, curiosity, fear, panic and then the tears had started. Whatever she had been dreaming about meant a great deal to her, most likely a suitor back home she was missing. In this he was sure, Alice's heart belonged to someone.

•••

Months passed in which time Alice and Braeden worked together tentatively at first, testing each other's skills. Both of them were impressed with the other. Alice found that all one had to do was prove oneself to Braeden, she had proven herself over and over again as she convinced more and more merchants to sign on with the venture. To Alice's delight Braeden was wrong in the fact that they did not take her seriously, yes it was hard at first but once she started talking business to them in a manner that they had heard no woman speak before they stopped viewing her merely as such.

Braeden was a great help to her, suggesting those who would most likely be open to the idea and not dismiss her and her idea. He accompanied her and helped with the negotiations so every merchant they went to signed on, they were never turned down. Braeden began to seriously look at Alice, at her beauty, her curiosity, her intelligence. She had everything going for her and he began to feel something for her, what he imagined was love.

He had never felt this way about any woman, most of them were mousy, swooning at almost everything. Alice was nothing like them, she was so unique he felt that he could not let her get away. Maybe that was it, he had to have her since she was something new that he had never before experienced, she was an adventure herself and he had every intention of completing it. His parents would not be thrilled at the idea of a rebellious and self thinking daughter in law but as far as they were concerned he would not let them have any say in the matter. They had for years been trying to get him to marry one of the eligible women in the upper class but he had refused all of them, barely even courting them, making the excuse that work was taking up all his time.

But here was a woman who was working side by side with him, something that he had grown to like. She was shrewd, even more so then he was, she had caught some of the merchants trying to go to someone else with the idea and she had called them out on it right away. He respected her as he had no other woman since she would not tolerate anyone's disrespect towards her, mainly for being a woman. He found her so fascinating and he wanted to know more about her, especially who the man was that she often dreamed about.

•••

Alice had begun to enjoy herself even with the constant nagging sensation that she had to go somewhere other then where she was. She had no idea where that somewhere was but it would have to wait until this venture was under way further.

The dream she had experienced in the carriage plagued her every night, making her jolt awake in bed crying and feeling as if she had lost a part of her. Every time she thought she was one step closer to figuring out who he was, she would awake and the feeling of knowing would dissipate.

During the day she was too busy to worry about her nights, Braeden was fast becoming a friend and she wondered what had changed in him to make him so cordial to her. He actually seemed to enjoy working with her now. She knew her part in this venture was coming to an end and that she would soon be going home but she hoped to still be able to keep in contact with him to make sure all was going well. She every confidence that he would make sure everything ran smoothly.

Braeden even began to take her to places when they were not working, they went to the theatre and the many different restaurants. They talked about themselves but she could feel his questions building up to something and one night at dinner the question was finally asked.

It was a beautiful place, the walls decorated with ornate carvings of dragons flying about the room, wings spread, breathing fire. It was crowded but there was plenty of room to maneuver to their table which was right on the edge of the dance floor, a live band playing a waltz.

Alice shuddered at the thought of that day all those months ago at the thought of dancing, a thought that made her think of a party which was meant to be her engagement party. She did not miss that day, the way something so important had not been left up to her, how she had been forced to dance with that man who was meant to be her husband.

Braeden felt her shudder, he looked at her in a questioning way, "Are you cold?"

"No not at all. Just thinking," it was all she said, Braeden mentally shrugged at yet another aspect of her life she would not divulge to him.

Before they reached their table he tugged her out onto the dance floor, she tried not to visibly stiffen but Braeden felt her hesitation but he did not stop their progression towards the dancing couples.

He put her hand in his, put her other hand on his shoulder, then placed his other hand on her waist and began to move along with the other dancers. Alice had never been so close to Braeden before and she felt herself blush, hoping that Braeden would think it nothing more then her growing warm from the dance. He took it to mean that she liked his touch and as women often do, blushed from the feeling.

He led her around the dance floor, picking up pace until he could feel her breathing heavily. He liked the feeling of her pressed against him, he could get used to this. He felt her trying to push him away but he only held onto her tighter, moving her body closer to his, more then was necessary for this particular dance. To Alice's relief the song ended and Braeden let her go though he did so slowly. She clapped along with the rest of the dancers and allowed Braeden to guide her to their table. He held out her chair for her, she sat as he pushed it underneath her and went to his own seat across from her.

As she picked up her menu she noticed that the waiter had left a bottle of red wine, from the taste of it a very expensive wine, Braeden did have good taste in such things and she savored the flavor of it. She picked up her menu and almost immediately he went to what he had been meaning to ask her for quite some time.

"Are you in love with anyone back home? I couldn't help noticing that first day in the carriage…there was love on your face even though there was also fear. Who is it you fear for so much?"

She looked at him in horror, then confusion. Love? Is that what she felt towards that man? Is that why her heart felt like it was breaking in two every time she watched him die?

"I…" she started, "…I'm not sure who it is….his face is always hidden from me…but I have the strange feeling that I know who he is…I just can't place him…"

"And…what do you feel for this unknown man?"

She paused, no longer able to look into his eyes she looked away, there was too much hope in his eyes that it might be him even though it couldn't possibly be him. Why he would ever be in such a world like that? He wouldn't have even been able to think up such a place and she would not place him in such a whimsical scene. Alice now realized just what Braeden was getting at, that he loved her and wanted her.

"Braeden….I like you but as no more then a friend and coworker…I'm sorry if I led you to believe anything other then that…when this venture is further under way I will be returning home…I'm sorry…"

Braeden took a deep breath, "No need to be sorry," a fake smile now gracing his face, it didn't reach his eyes, "Who ever holds your heart is a lucky man indeed." He raised his glass to her almost mockingly, "I wish you all the happiness in the world. May he be the one for you who ever he is."

He raised the glass to his lips and swallowed the rest of the contents in one gulp. There was an audible swallow, a moment of awkward silence until the waiter came over to fill Braeden's glass.

"Leave the bottle."

The waiter did as was instructed while Braeden finished off another glass of the red liquid. He could feel the warmth from it spreading through him, setting his being on fire, making him feel bold.

Alice said nothing, only looked on as he drank glass after glass, the bottle fast becoming empty. She wanted to leave, didn't want to leave him here on his own in such a state but she was getting frightened by the look in his eyes. There was a smirk on his face that she had never seen there before, it was malicious, she could take it no longer.

"I believe you have had more then enough Braeden…"

He cut her off, "Do not dare presume to tell me that I have had enough. I and I alone decide when I have had enough. I'm no where near done."

"Then I will take my leave of you. I will not watch you do this to yourself any longer."

She rose from the table, making to leave, he grabbed her wrist with extreme force, squeezing it until Alice thought it would surely break.

"I did not say you could leave. That's your problem, you don't act like a woman should. I don't know why any man would want you. I don't know why I wanted you. But someone should put you in your rightful place."

"How dare you," she struggled to free her wrist, vaguely aware that the other patrons were looking over at the display he was putting on.

"Let go of me at once!" Through the fog that covered his mind he was able to make out that people were now staring, the waiter was coming towards him to try and intervene. Braeden let go of Alice's wrist, pushing it away with all the strength he could.

"Fine. I'm done with you anyway. Go if you want. I will follow shortly."

Alice turned on her heel and fled the restaurant as fast as she could, leaving Braeden staring after her as well as everyone else. The women did not know what had come over this blonde haired woman to leave in such a fashion, she had broken that poor man's heart. The men thought he had acted too softly towards her and that he should not have let her leave in such a manner.

Braeden looked after Alice with anger and hatred burning in his eyes. He would show her the way the world really worked and where women truly belonged.

•••

Alice arrived back at the house, the butler opened the door looking confused as to why Lord Drakon was not with her. Alice paid no attention to him as she swept past and up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door closed behind her, locking it for good measure.

She heard the bell ring down stairs, the door open, a shout and loud talking. There were feet pounding up the stairs, another shout that sounded like Sir don't and then her doorknob was being turned. When he found that it was locked he began banging on the door.

"You bitch open this door! No one locks doors in this house! No one!"

"My lord you must not…"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"My lord you will regret this in the morning. You mustn't harm her."

"I will do as I please! That bitch in there needs to be taught a lesson!"

There was more pounding on the door, there was scuffling too, the butler must be trying to use force to subdue Braeden Alice thought. When she heard Braeden shout again it was from further down the hall, he was being dragged away from her door, she sighed in relief. He had just helped her reach her decision of when the best time to leave was, she would not stay here any longer, the venture was far enough on its way to success that it would keep moving that way without her. She would be on the next ship bound for England.

•••

**Hope you enjoyed it. I would love to hear any thoughts, complaints, concerns about it thus far. I will try to keep writing and hopefully will post the next chapter soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I am posting a huge chunk of the story today which I had worked on all day yesterday. I really haven't received much feedback even though there do seem to be people reading it. I will keep writing until the story is over since I do this for my own pleasure. It would be nice to hear that others are enjoying it. **

**•••**

Months passed, blurred into one another for Tarrant. His days were still consumed by his need to make hats, to forget everything but that. The same dream he had all those weeks still plagued him, both in his waking and sleeping mind. Every night it was the same dream and even though the thought scared him, he had grown used to it, was almost resigned to what might await him.

It would be nice to be reunited with his family, to not feel so alone. He had lost everything that day, it was more then just his clan, it was his entire family; his mother, father, sisters, wife and child. He had been married only for a few years, he had loved her with all his being and he had loved their daughter more then life itself. He remembered watching them both dance together and the celebration of the arrival of spring. His wife always looked forward to that celebration the most and her love for the spring and had been passed down into their daughter.

He could see them in his mind eye; spinning under the maypole, the ribbon hanging from their hand as they wove an intricate dance. He clapped his hands in time to the music, in time to their dancing, He could not remember being happier than this. Then he heard the terrible noise of the beast, saw the purple light shoot from its mouth, his home being destroyed, the White Queen being tossed around by her terrified mount, his hand shooting out to grab the reins, bringing them into the woods and hurrying back to the village. By the time he got back there was nothing but skeletons of once beautiful homes. There was no trace of any of his clan or his immediate family.

He remembered calling their names till his voice was hoarse, he saw his hat on the ground, he picked it up with no feeling but anger. No one but him was left, his beautiful wife and daughter gone in an instant, his whole world shattered by a woman who knew nothing of the world, only cared about how powerful she was. She had shown her power by destroying lives, lives he cared about. He would not let it stand, he would do something about it. He was never the same again.

•••

The Queen had told him weeks ago that they would need to go to Salazem Grum to oversee the construction, to make sure it no longer looked the way it had under her sister and to make sure it was strong enough to withstand attack if such a thing were to ever happen.

The day had come for them to travel there but it slipped his mind. The Queen knocked on his door and entered his rooms. She was astounded at the way his rooms looked. She had not been in his rooms for quite sometime, it was even messier then she remembered and he was up to his elbows in his work. He was surrounded by fabric, thread, feathers, complete hats, semi-complete hats, food he had not touched.

He did not look up at all, he continued on with his sewing as if she was not there or had just knocked on his door.

She sighed as she looked at his appearance, which was even more haggard then she remembered. _So much for the daily walks in the garden I hoped he would take_ she thought to herself.

"Tarrant…" it was no more then a whisper, carrying all her fears for this man but it was enough to make Tarrant jump.

He looked at her without comprehension, he was still too focused on his work but slowly comprehension became apparent on his face. He shook his head to clear away the fog in his mind, it did no good, his memory bombarded him still, the need to continue work on his hats was overpowering, the voices wouldn't be quiet. He put his hands up to his ears in a desperate attempt to shut them out, all of them, no matter how hard he squeezed they would not cease their endless rambling.

The Queen looked at him in worry as he seemed to not be able to find himself, he was always able to find himself before, he was getting worse. She stepped up to him and placed both her hands on either side of his face, she made him look at her, there was nothing in his eyes, which scared her to no end. His eyes always showed some kind of emotion, there wasn't even any sign that he had felt her touch him.

"Tarrant?"

There was no change and she could feel the panic start to rise within her, this was not like him.

"TARRANT?"

She screamed in his face and shook his head in a desperate attempt to help him clear it. She saw him blink, his eyes began to focus more, he looked at her in confusion, then realization dawned and then she saw his embarrassment.

He shook her hands off his face and looked anywhere but at her.

"You are here for a reason."

She knew he did not want to talk about what had just happened but she did not push the issue.

"I came to see if you were ready to leave. I must go to Salazem Grum and was hoping you would join me."

She saw him flinch at the mention of Salazem Grum but he showed no other signs of his discomfort about that place. The memories at that name threatened to overwhelm him but he was able to push them down where they belonged.

"I had forgotten," was all he said in reply, his voice monotone. It appeared that was all he would say and the Queen was beginning to think he would not come.

"…I will join you," he said in a small voice.

"Only if you are sure…"

"I am sure…it might be good to…get out for a while…"

She smiled at him, he scowled at her believing the smile to be one of pity. The smile dropped from her face and was replaced by her own scowl.

"If you are coming I expect you to be ready and waiting by the gate for me in one hour. I also expect you to be presentable."

He looked down at himself, barely registering that he was in the same clothes he had been wearing for what he believed to be almost a week. He merely nodded at her as she turned in a rustle of dress to leave him to get ready.

•••

The White Queen left Tarrant's room with the feeling that Tarrant would not be able to truly be free of himself until Alice came back to Underland. She knew it would be hard for Tarrant to let her go, he still hadn't fully let go of his wife and child but rather let them eat him up from the inside out. It had been bad when Alice left but things had only worsened.

She knew Tarrant needed someone to help keep him in the here and now but she did not realize just how much he did. He seemed to be slipping further and further into himself and soon she feared she would not be able to help him come back.

A servant rushed by her, preparing for the journey her Queen was about to embark on.

"Penelope."

The girl stopped and turned bowing low to the Queen, "Your Majesty."

"I must speak to the White Rabbit. It is most urgent. Tell him I will be in my rooms."

"Yes my lady," she bowed again as she went to look for the White Rabbit.

The Queen entered her rooms and not a moment later the White Rabbit knocked on the Queen's door.

"Your majesty," he said bowing low.

"I have need of you to go the land above and look for Alice to bring her back. It is crucial that you do this…Tarrant is worse then I thought…much worse."

The White Rabbit looked upset at this news that the hatter was not doing well, he had heard rumors but the Queen was truly worried, something she did not do often.

"Yes your majesty…I fear that it will do little good though…"

"Explain."

The White Rabbit looked nervous, fiddling with his paws and not meeting the Queen's eyes.

"I have news about Alice majesty…" when he seemed to hesitate the Queen motioned that he should continue.

"Absolem has informed us that she was leaving her home to go on a journey…we know not where…Ches confirms this too…"

The Queen frowned at this news, wishing they had told her sooner.

"You have no idea where she might be?"

"Majesty…the above land is very vast…the lands are separated by great bodies of water and she could be in any one of those foreign lands…"

"I need you to find her. No matter what you have to do she needs to be located…I fear what might happen to Tarrant the longer she stays away…I have never seen him so lost before…not even…not even after that day…"

The White Rabbit nodded, his breathing picking up as he smelled her fear and it became his own.

"I will do my best majesty," he bowed again, turning to leave.

The Queen looked after him confident that he would find Alice, he knew what was at stake.

•••

She was waiting at the gate for him, half expecting him not to be ready in the hour she allotted him. She was pleasantly surprised when he came out of the gatehouse in a mere forty-five minutes looking presentable and as if he had not been holed up in his rooms for almost two months. She saw him scrunch up his eyes at the bright light that was only made brighter by the white walls of Mamorial.

When he was by her side she nodded silently at him, he simply looked at her, his eyes telling what he was feeling. She nodded again at him and he mounted up on the horse that was brought out for him. As soon as he was settled they began their journey to Salazem Grum followed by most of her force.


	8. Chapter 8

The red-hot confines of his body no longer existed.

One moment he wanted the pain to stop, the next moment he could feel nothing at all. There was no chair underneath him, no cool air making his sweat covered body shiver, no smell of the meal he had not even been able to touch. There was no sensation at all. There was only darkness.

He tried to gather his thoughts, thoughts that were suddenly hard to form, thoughts that seem to come from no where and every where, thoughts he could not remember having. They kept slipping away from him before he had any time to register their passage let alone what they meant.

One thought finally stuck in what he supposed must be his new consciousness. He was dead. Murdered. Murdered by someone he had loathed in life. The same person he had served for years even though he had done so only because she had held something over his head, something he could not remember. This was no longer important though, it wasn't worth the effort of remembering.

He had wanted power, power she was willing to give to anyone who sucked up to her, for her it wasn't the power, it was the people doing anything in order to be in her good graces.

She had killed him. It was most likely not her idea but that did not matter to him. Nothing much mattered anymore. All that mattered was the fact that she was responsible for his current condition and he was going to do all in his limited power he could to get even with her.

His anger and hatred, his need for vengeance, gave him shape and purpose. He would do anything he could to get his hands on her, hands that he slowly remembered he no longer had. As he remembered it, he could feel something, a current going through what he guessed was him. The realization came that all around him was not pure black anymore, it was lightening into gray. He could see hands, his hands, hands that he could move when he thought about moving them. He saw through them, through to the floor that was far below him.

He was still in the dining hall, the place where she had killed him. He looked, he saw her standing there, near his still cooling body talking to Diprosopus. He realized he could not hear what they were saying, that sense was not yet his to wield again. She had reduced him to nothing. No more then a corpse in a chair and now a specter. His anger gave back his ability to hear, he could hear what they were discussing now, clear as he could see them.

•••

Diprosopus snapped his fingers causing a servant to rush forward to obey the summons. She tried to keep her eyes off the form that only moments ago had been a living, breathing man. Now he was no more then food for the insects and scavengers of Underland.

"My lord…" her voice cracked showing her fear.

Diprosopus smiled down at her. He loved the power he received by the mere fact that everyone was afraid of him. He saw her wince at his smile and he chuckled.

"I need you to dispose of that," he gestured in the general direction of Stayne's corpse, "You know where. And do it quietly or you will pay in the same way he did."

Her eyes bulged in fear, she bowed to him as he swept past her, Iracebeth close in his stead.

"Now that that is taken care of…what plans do you have for taking the White Queen's stronghold?"

Iracebeth looked up at him in confusion.

"I don't know much about tactical military…tactics. I only know I want to get in to her castle at Mamorial, do as much damage to it as possible, take what I need and then return here and get to the real work."

Diprosopus put up a quizzical eyebrow.

"That is your master plan?"

"Merely what needs to be accomplished."

He gave her an incredulous look, quickly wiping it away, "Very well. I will talk to my commanders and see what can be done."

She nodded her head to him and took her leave.

Diprosopus looked after her, wondering once again how she had been able to control anything. Then again it had not been her who had the power, it was everyone else around her though they did not seem to realize it until this Alice had come to Underland.

All Iracebeth seemed worried about was revenge, revenge was good but there was more to be gained then that simple little satisfaction. He would rule from both Mamorial and Salazem Grum and he had a plan as to how to accomplish it.

•••

General Onca walked among the soldiers, he was not pleased at the position he found himself in but he would do as his King commanded or he would suffer the consequences. The men were all getting ready for the impending attack against the White Queen, he knew her armies inside and out, who they were led by, what their mentality was. He knew they were made up of chess soldiers as well as human soldiers and now she had the added army of the card soldiers at her disposal.

His spies had told him that she split her time between Mamorial and Salazem Grum, that she was currently stationed at Salazem Grum while they were reconstructing it to her specifications. From what he had heard the outside fortifications had been made stronger, most likely since the Queen was not going to take any chances of having a weak defense for any attack that might happen.

She was no fool whatever Diprosopus said to him, he knew how her mind worked. Yes she had her vows to uphold that she would not kill or harm another living being but that did not mean others lived as she did, or that others were bound as she was. He knew that if she were pushed to it she would order her armies out to defend the country. It was what made the people of Underland love her.

General Onca was torn, on the one hand he was know an Outlander, coerced into helping King Diprosopus or risk his families safety. They were and had been prisoners of the King since they had all come here. It was his fault that they were here. He had once been a general under the Red Queen and she had found out that he had been a traitor, that he was actually a spy for the White Queen. The White Queen had been able to smuggle him out of Salazem Grum as well as his family but she could not risk housing him at Mamorial since she did not want her sister becoming any more angry at her.

He had understood and his family had followed him into the Outland where Diprosopus's men had found them wandering. They had been brought before this King of the Outlands, he knew who Onca had been, knew he would be a great asset since he knew both the White Queen's army and that of the Red Queen's. With Onca on his side he could attack both of the Queens and take Underland for himself.

But then Alice had come a second time and rather then use the plan he had been working on for years with General Onca, he had waited to see if the two Queens would destroy each other so he only had to walk in and say he was the new King.

Now he had a new plan, yes he had to put up with Iracebeth but she had knowledge of Salazem Grum that no one else had, knowledge that she had not yet given up. Diprosopus begrudgingly realized she was not as stupid as he had once thought. She had learned something from her ordeal but she would soon relinquish what she knew.

General Onca continued walking among his men, these men would gladly go into battle for Onca if he asked them to, when Diprosopus wanted the men to do something they did so out of fear and nothing else. Onca saw the men readying themselves for the march that was fast approaching them, they were sharpening whatever they had that would pass for weapons. He knew they would be far out numbered but the King was going to use the aspects of stealth and surprise to try and accomplish his plan.

Even though they had few men there would be even fewer since Diprosopus wanted to attack both Mamorial and Salazem Grum. Mamorial would be taken over, they knew that there were few soldiers left there and it was ripe for the picking. Salazem Grum presented another challenge all together, since the Queen was there, so too were most of her armies in order to make sure she was as safe as possible. They would have to breach the walls at night, silently entering and getting what Iracebeth said would bring Alice back to Underland so she could destroy her once and for all.

Diprosopus was not interested in keeping Salazem Grum since he knew he could not take it yet with so many men protecting it and his army comprising of only a fourth of the White Queen's armies. He would be content with taking Mamorial for now, which would be reinforced after they were done with Salazem Grum. Iracebeth did not know about his plans for Mamorial. It had been mentioned to her in passing that her sister was at Salazem Grum and much had changed but that was all she knew and all she would know until later.

General Onca did not like the idea of helping Iracebeth in any matter, especially this one. She had been very quiet about what it was she was actually trying to take from the White Queen but he had his suspicions and each one he disliked more and more. There was no way for him to say no, he could not face Diprosopus killing his family, he would do anything to keep them alive even if he did not like what it was he had to do.

•••

Stayne had heard everything that passed between Iracebeth and Diprosopus inside the dining hall. Now all he had to do was warn the White Queen, something he was not looking forward to since she had helped him on the path to his current predicament. The thought of revenge against Iracebeth was enough to erase any other feelings, it was his driving force.

He hated the thought of having to go to the White Queen but she would have to be his body, act when he could not. She would act when he told her of her sister's plans. All he had to do was figure out a way to get to her before it was too late.

He willed his new form to move beyond the dining hall. He had no idea how long it would take for Diprosopus's army to reach the White Queen, he would most likely push the troops to exhaustion to accomplish the deed faster.

He was able to exit the dining hall, entering the main foyer and going towards the door. He flew through it, an odd sensation but one that did not fully register in this being that was made of pure anger.

He focused on who it was that he needed to see, saw her before him, her white hair flowing down her back, her body clothed in the finest white silk that Underland was able to produce. This was the White Queen. She looked somehow older then he remembered, lines of worry marred her face, ruling the whole of Underland was taking its toll.

He had arrived where he needed to be, where she was, but it was not where he had expected her to be. She was at Salazem Grum but it did not look as it had under Iracebeth. There was no longer any traces of the red battlements, the hearts that had been abundant in the castle and the ones that had abounded in the design of the castle were all gone. They had been replaced and the castle looked very similar to Mamorial.

The White Queen had planted trees all around Salazem Grum, something that made it look less threatening. The trees were blowing in the wind, releasing their scent and petals into the air. He thought it had been fall when he had died, there was a nagging feeling telling him that it had been late fall, that now it appeared to be near the end of spring. He hoped he was not too late.

The chess soldiers stood guard to the castle, replacing the former card soldiers. They were lining either side of the path that was once again busy now that people could freely travel where they would.

He realized that he was not imagining it, he had actually made it. He passed by the chess soldiers, they did not react in any way to his presence. He was able to traverse the inner courtyard full of people without anyone seeing him, some could have sworn that an unearthly breeze had touched their skin but they could not be sure. He passed through the castle walls, met by even more people bustling about, none of which paid any heed to the shimmer in the air that marked his passing.

He felt himself being drawn to the White Queen, he did not fight the force pulling him along as if on a string. He was soon face to face with the White Queen, unlike the rest of the castle she did not look beyond him or through him, she saw him. She looked on him with both sadness and anger, even though it was the first of the two that was winning.

"To what do I owe this visit?"

He did not know if he could speak, having not spoken since the day of his murder. He opened his mouth and the words were able to come out as he wanted them to.

"I come with news of your sister."

"Ah yes my dear old sister. How is she?"

"She plans to attack you. I know not when or with how many. Only that she has made some sort of bargain with Diprosopus. That he and the outcasts of Underland will attack you and try to take something that is dear to you."

"This is the truth?"

"In this I would not lie. I come before you in this manner due to her actions against me. I want revenge for what she has done. I want to see her fall as I have fallen. I want her to feel pain, more then I felt as she watched me die. What I tell you is the truth."

She looked at the specter that had at one point been the man Stayne, a man she had condemned to this fate due to her own anger. Yes he was telling the truth, anger and the drive for vengeance would do that to a person, a person she would not other wise have believed.

"Very well. We shall be ready. Thank you Stayne."

She turned on her heel, leaving the specter to do what it would, calling on her advisors in order to prepare a defensive against the imminent attack.

Stayne remained where he was, looking after the White Queen who he hoped would bring down her sister once and for all. He felt his anger burn through his form, felt the anticipation rising as he began the wait for the battle that was approaching.

•••

Tarrant stared out the window of Salazem Grum, trying not to think about the last time he was here as a prisoner or how the bloody big head was on the move with a force against her sister again, a fact he had just been informed about. He did not want to think about such things, he did not want to think about anything, he wished his mind would just go blank and leave him be.

He tried not to think how Alice had come here all that time ago to save him and for a while he seemed to be more of his old self. He shook his head trying to focus on the sun setting beyond the horizon, it was every color he could imagine; red, orange, pink, purple all working together to bathe the land in its light.

Was Alice experiencing the same thing he was? Did the above world she came from have sunsets such as this one? He shook his head again, trying to toss her out of his head but she held on. She wouldn't seem to leave him alone.

He started wondering if she had married, if she had children, if she was happy. If she was happy with all the choices she had made, if she regretted any of those choices. Most likely she regretted nothing, she had chosen and she had chosen the correct path. He knew he was a broken man, a man that no woman wanted, no one wanted a man who was broken and that came with a past. A past that kept him up at night staring into the nothing while at other times he could not think straight and wanted nothing more then to loose himself completely in his memories since it was getting harder to suppress them.

She was better off being in her own world. There was nothing she could do for him now. He was falling into the nothing, further and further every time, soon he would not come back from it.

In his reverie he heard a ruckus in the hallway and wondered what could be so important that it warranted such noise.

He began to walk to the door to tell whoever it was that was making the noise to cease when his door violently swung open and banged up against the wall, making a sound like thunder which stopped him dead in his tracks.

He did not recognize the man who was holding a bow with a knocked arrow in the doorway. Before he could do anything there was a sharp pain, he did not understand why there was pain when all that had happened was the door opening and this man standing there.

He looked down at where the pain seemed to emanate from, he saw something protruding from his abdomen, something that looked curiously like the arrow that had a moment ago been in the bow the man was holding. How had it come to be there? He looked up at the man in confusion, barely registering that the man was knocking another arrow, getting ready to let it go.

"NO!" A female voice shrieked, a tantalizingly familiar voice. His mind was fogged with pain, he was trying to stay on his feet although the thought of collapse was one that was welcome.

"No!" The voice said again as it stepped from beyond the hallway, taking on the form of what looked to be the bloody big head.

"This one is not to be killed. You've damaged him enough already. This one comes with us. Take care of that wound. I can't have him dying on the journey back."

Nothing was making sense to Tarrant. Why was there pain? Why had the floor rushed up to meet him? Why was the man standing over him touching his painful abdomen, causing only more pain? Why was there a snap of wood accompanied only by more pain from a pressure that hadn't been there before? Why was the world going black?

•••

Iracebeth watched as the bowman followed her orders. Tarrant had collapsed, something that she didn't care about. What concerned her was if he had fallen on the arrow in such a way that would cause it to penetrate further and hit something that would make the wound fatal.

She watched as the arrow was broken in half, leaving the metal tip in Tarrant's body, she hoped it had not been poisoned, a practice that Diprosopus seemed very fond of. She watched as the man applied pressure around the wound, saw Tarrant finally lose consciousness. She looked on with a smile the whole time. Alice would certainly come back to Underland now, she had what the girl wanted. Alice would come and she, Iracebeth, would have her revenge.

•••

Alice sat up in bed, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her back. She tried to control her breathing as her abdomen was rocked with a sharp pain. She doubled over with the pain, trying to remember what had happened in her dream, all she could gleam from it was the feeling of loss and helplessness. She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the heel of her hand as she began to feel a pull on her being. She was needed somewhere but she could not remember where.

She got up from the bed, walking over to the bureau where there was a basin of water. She splashed her face with some, coming into the waking world further, washing away all the terrible feelings, but the pull was still there, constant but not over powering. She needed to go home.


	9. Chapter 9

Stayne had been right in thinking too much time had passed. As he was telling the White Queen about Iracebeth's plan of attacking at some point, Diprosopus and General Onca were setting up their forces in the newly grown forest around Salazem Grum, waiting for the cover of darkness to make their move. He had already received word that Mamorial had fallen and was now his.

He was confident that Salazem Grum would be no different, they would be successful in what they had to accomplish. General Onca was trying to keep his men quiet, they were not pleased about what they would have to do. They did not want to swim through the moat that until recently held the severed heads of Iracebeth's supposed enemies, they knew it would be ni impossible to climb the walls yet here they were.

They would have to do it in order to please their lord or suffer his wrath if they failed him. The sun began to set and the tension in the camp was palpable. General Onca gave the signal to begin taking the fortress, they had been told to cut down anyone in their path, take out as many as they could. They would be signaled when they had found what they had come for. Then they would retreat to Mamorial.

The men silently entered the freezing cold water, making sure to make no sound that would give them away. When they reached the other side they began the almost impossible ascent of the outer wall. They were able to make it to the top and silently drop down. They began to make their way into the castle, some had been told where they might find secret passages that only Iracebeth had known about, which would get them further into Salazem Grum.

They made their way through Salazem Grum as if they were spiders, they quietly dispatched any of the White Queen's men they came against and the alarm was not raised for quite sometime. The alarm was not raised until Iracebeth had what she needed and they were on their way out of the castle.

Diprosopus's men who had stayed behind were already on the move, the others joined them and did not stop. The prisoner was thrown into a cart pulled by a horse and they made their way as fast as they could to Mamorial.

•••

The White Queen was unharmed, had no idea the attack would come so soon after she had only just received the news of it this afternoon. It had been Stayne who had raised the alarm, letting out an unearthly yell, alerting the Queen's guard who were still alive that something was wrong.

By then the threat was no longer there but the damage had been done. In all almost all of those who had been on guard were cut down where they stood. Anyone else who had been in the way had not been spared and even now lay where they had fallen.

The Queen riled those still living to attend to the dead and the wounded. She sensed something was wrong and went to Tarrant's room as soon as she could. When she got there she was met with an empty room, was confronted with a pool of blood near the door.

She looked up, trying to gain control of her queasy stomach. She dropped to her knees, the tears falling unbidden. She gathered herself together, thinking desperately as to the reason why her sister would want to take Tarrant. The reasons that came to her were worse and worse. All she knew for certain was that she would not let this stand.


	10. Chapter 10

Pain enveloped. Pain defined. Pain was life.

At times it was red hot, felt like fire destroying flesh. At times it was dull, barely there until the world became bumpy and made the pain rear its head and attack in anger at being disturbed. There was only darkness, darkness that promised absolution, comfort, an escape. The pain was able to infiltrate the darkness sometimes, would not leave it be as a safe haven, the pain crept in everywhere.

There was no escape.

•••

She would not let him die. He was too important to her plan and she was looking forward to causing even more pain to this man, to break him and leave him only a mass of pain-riddled flesh.

He had to stay alive.

As they traveled, the field doctor did what he could for the suffering man. He started by removing the arrow, an arrow he was relieved to see had not been poisoned or hit any major arteries. Even so the man's pain persisted, the wound had become infected due to lack of sanitation and the infection had spread through out his body. The man was suffering from fever now because of the infection, his body's attempt at trying to heal itself.

The field doctor had taken care of such wounds before but in order for it to work they had to stop and allow his treatment to take hold.

He approached the King, worried about not only the man but himself as well. He knew very well what Diprosopus was capable of. He told the King about what needed to be done, Iracebeth was present as well.

"If we stop then you can make sure he lives?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"It is a possibility…there is more chance of him recovering if we stop so I can do what needs to be done and the wound is allowed to heal properly…" the doctor told her.

Iracebeth looked to Diprosopus, "We must stop. He can not and will not die."

Diprosopus looked at Iracebeth with anger in his eyes.

"We have just attacked the Queen's stronghold what do you think she will do? Stay where she is and hope for his return? Yes she will have to attend to those we were able to wound or kill but she will be following soon after let me assure you."

"If he is not healed all will be lost. She must come back so she can be dealt with once and for all!"

"What if she is not meant to come back? This is not her world. She was no longer needed until you made a reason for her being needed. She is the one thing the residents of Underland love more then the White Queen. They will rally behind her to bring you down…and I will not be there to protect you."

"We are in this together now!"

"I am in this for only one reason. One you should be well aware of."

She looked at him in shock, trying to recover from it, her brain furiously thinking of a way for him to stop the march and let her prisoner heal.

"My sister will surly follow as you said, something that is to our…your…benefit. She will not have the home-field advantage. You and your men know these outlands better then anyone. You are making the rules."

"Yes I am and she will come just as readily if he is dead since she will not know of his death."

"If he stays alive Alice will come and she can be disposed of too. She is the real threat to you."

Diprosopus thought for a moment about what she said. Getting rid of Alice would indeed be beneficial if they were able to do so. She had proved herself more then once though and the odds were against them when it came to her, but he wanted his rule to be absolute.

"Alice will still come no matter if he lives or dies just as the White Queen will. It makes no difference and we do not have time to linger."

"I WANT MY REVENGE! And I will take it from his flesh until she comes here!"

Diprosopus looked at Iracebeth, her face beet-red, her fists balled and shaking. He knew it would be better just to let her have this or she would be difficult to handle and if he did live Alice and the White Queen would be more willing to do as he said in their fear for what they could do to this prisoner.

He looked to the doctor who had been silent all this time as his betters had gone back and forth.

"Very well," he said begrudgingly, "You may do what is necessary to save the prisoner's life."

The doctor bowed to his lord and backed out of the tent that had been set up for Diprosopus's comfort.

The doctor motioned to a few of the men that their lord had given them the go ahead to see to the prisoner. They unceremoniously took the man out of the wagon he had been traveling in and brought him into another tent that had been set up for the doctor to look after those who had been wounded in the battle.

He motioned for a spot to be cleared, a cot was brought into the tent as well as the instruments that he would need to help the broken man in front of him. He could see that the man was shivering as the sweat cooled on his skin, his eyes moving frantically behind closed lids, his head tossing from side to side.

The doctor looked to one of the men who had offered their help, "Get a fire going. Make sure it is as hot as you can possibly make it."

"Yes doctor Tutela."

The man did as he was bid and soon a roaring fire was going. Doctor Tutela looked to the man on the cot, his eyes were open, the first time he had seen them open since he had been ordered to heal him.

He knelt down by the side of the cot, placing a hand on his forehead. It was burning hot, the man cringed away from the coldness of the hand, trying to find where it had come from.

"Do you remember anything?" Doctor Tutela asked.

The large eyes full of pain looked into the doctor's eyes, looking for an answer to give him.

"Name….Tarrant…" his voice was cracked from in-use and pain.

"Tarrant I'm Doctor Tutela…I've been told to help you get better. In order to do that there will be more pain I'm afraid…"

He could see tears building in Tarrant's eyes, see that he preparing himself for the pain the doctor had forewarned about.

"I do have some chloroform that will hopefully last for the entirety of what I must do…don't fight it."

Tarrant nodded his head as the doctor put a cloth over his nose and mouth. He could hear someone telling him to breathe, he did. The effect was almost instantaneuous. Tarrant felt himself slipping into the darkness once again and he did not fight it.

The doctor saw that Tarrant was under and he began his work. He started by cutting away the clothing that was left on Tarrant's frame so he could get to the wound. He took off the bandages that he had put there, what he saw worried him. The wound did not look good, he had never seen one this infected where the man was still alive.

He told one of the men to put the knife he would need to use in the fire and he set to work on cutting away the infected flesh. When he was finished he immediately called for the knife from the fire so he could cauterize the wound. He wrapped the wound with cloth that was the cleanest he could find and covered Tarrant with a blanket.

Inbetween bouts of wakefulness, Doctor Tutela would force teas down Tarrant's throat to bring down the fever. The tea slowly did what it had been intended for, breaking the fever, leaving Tarrant weak but alive. Doctor Tutela went before his lord again and told him it was safe for them to continue.

•••

He had no idea what day it was. Time no longer mattered, it did not construct his day, that was the pain's job.

Pain came in intervals, these intervals became his days, which turned into weeks, which led into months. He lived a life that was long, too long and yet he did not die from old age.

The pain was interrupted by the burning, the burning that made him cold, made him shiver, caused the pain to spread out from his belly. That pain had grown, seemed to seep through his entire being.

Then there was the clean pain that came from the same place, pain so sharp that he could feel it even in the darkness of the drug. The pain administered by the man who he thought was trying to help, the one who was now causing the pain that made his skin burn and sizzle, filling his nostrils with the smell of burning flesh.

The man forced liquid down his throat, soothing liquid that dulled the pain, dulled the burning in his body. But the pain always seemed to come back in some capacity, he could not escape it no matter what he did. It would never leave.

Then it did leave. The pain left him alone, the fog lifted, the heat left, he was allowed to sleep for the first time in what must have been years.

•••

Diprosopus was pleased that even though the prisoner had caused them to delay, they were on there way again and would arrive at Mamorial within a day. Iracebeth would not be pleased that she had been left out of his plan to take Mamorial but she would get over it in time. She had what she wanted and so did Diprosopus for the moment.


	11. Chapter 11

Alice took the first ship she could, she made sure Lord Drakon was not there the day she was to leave, he was away on business making sure everything was in order regarding the trade routes. He would most likely take all the credit for it but she no longer seemed to care, she thought this strange, she thought she would be more upset about the idea being taken over by this pompous man but she didn't.

When the carriage arrived to take her and her things to the dock she had to check herself so she did not run to her freedom, she merely walked faster then people were accustomed. The horses were too slow, her mind began to wander to think of impossible things, things that would take people farther and faster. She had no idea what they would like, maybe horseless carriages that could reach speeds no horse ever had.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the door being opened, a disjointed voice saying that her things were already aboard, the ship would be leaving soon. She took his proffered hand and stepped down onto the dirt road. She did not look behind her as she walked towards the wood planks of the dock towards the ship that would take her home. The pull was still there, would not leave her alone, it seemed to be more persistent but she knew that she was doing the right thing.

It was true she had done much during her time here and she would not soon forget it but she would be glad to moved on with her life. She knew men were crafty, that they wanted women and when they didn't get their way could become violent but she had never experienced it first hand. She was worried that all men were like this, a prospect that made her think it would be best if she did not have a man in her life.

She imagined that the return journey would feel longer then the trip to this far off place, it seemed agonizingly long even though it took the same amount of time as her first trip. There were no storms but there were dreams that plagued her still. Always the same, they seemed to make the nagging feeling worse.

Then she came down with a fever, which was strange since the day before she had been fine and the next she could not get out of bed. As soon as it was there it was gone again. All she wanted to do was get home.

The day finally came when she heard one of the men yell "land ho", signaling that she would soon set foot on land, her home. She hoped with all her being her mother would be there to take her home since all she wanted was to go to sleep as soon as she set foot in her room. She was exhausted beyond words but had no idea why this was so.

She felt herself drift off even though she tried to stay awake. In what felt like five minutes, one of the men was shaking her awake, saying that they had landed. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, realizing that she had not dreamed this time, something that scared her more then the actual dream.

As she came out of the bowels of the ship, the light hurt her eyes until they adjusted; she could hear the sea gulls, the noise from the dock coming from the people going about their business. She had not realized how much she had missed her home here in England, how much she missed her mother.

She searched the crowd until she saw her mother waving among the crowd, she waved back in relief and hurried over to where her mother stood waiting. Alice practically threw herself into her mother's arms, was engulfed in the warmth of her mother, Alice let go of a breath she realized she had not been holding.

"I missed you so much Alice."

"I missed you too," Alice whispered.

Her mother held her at arms length, "You've changed…"

"For the good I hope…"

"Yes. Of course for the good. It has not been the same without you. I left everything as you left it though. Your room is ready and waiting for you."

Alice wearily smiled at her mother as they walked to the carriage that would carry them home.

"I was surprised that you returned so quickly. I thought you would be gone at least another half a year…"

"The more I saw of the world, the more I was dissatisfied with it. It just didn't feel right. The ambition of men is astounding…"

"So you will stay home now? There are many eligible men you know. There's Lord Byron…he is a respectable fellow and well off in more than one way I hear…"

"Mother! I just got home and already you are trying to marry me off again! I just want to relax for now if you don't mind…"

"Of course dear…I'm sorry…I just don't want to see you alone for all your life…"

Alice scowled at her mother. They came up to the front of the house but Alice no longer felt the exhaustion that had plagued her before.

"I think I will take a walk in the garden if you have no objections," Alice said as she stepped down from the carriage.

"Don't wander off too far and don't be too long dinner will be served shortly…"

If her mother warned her about anything else she could not hear it as she quickly walked away, at least as quickly as propriety would allow. Propriety, there was something she would have to get used to again now that she was back in England. She had so much more freedom when she was not here under the constant eye of her mother, something she hoped her mother would not bother her about right away.

She sighed as she contemplated her fate of being constrained by her mother as if she was still that girl who had left all that time ago and did not like the thought one little bit.

•••

The White Rabbit saw the carriage pull up in front of the house, saw Alice step down, his heart began to race. Finally she had come home. He needed to speak with her as soon as possible, there was no saying what kind of state Tarrant was in now. He had been gone for quite sometime and the difference between worlds in time was still beyond him.

Before he could think of a way to approach Alice Ches showed up beside him. He jumped as he registered the new arrival.

"Must you always do that Ches?"

"I am sorry to alarm you but I have news. Tarrant has been taken by the former Red Queen."

The White Rabbit's eyes bugged out and his breathing increased ten fold.

"Calm down or you will faint," Ches told him.

"I'm trying…I must speak with Alice!"

"Well here's your chance. She's going to the garden now."

With that Ches disappeared back to Underland leaving the White Rabbit with even more disturbing news then he had held before.

•••

Just as Alice was about to turn one of the corners in the expansive garden of the manor house she saw a flash of white. She came up short as her breath hitched in her throat. The familiarity of the situation unsettled her and just as she was about to turn around and go back to the house she saw the flash again.

She could feel herself start to panic and for the life of her she could not say why, but the tugging she had grown accustomed to suddenly became more pronounced. It could only be a rabbit, the garden was full of them.

She began to walk towards the house again when she saw the flash again but this time it stopped by the corner of the hedge and peeked out at her. It wiggled its nose at her and slowly stepped out from its hiding place, on its hind legs.

She saw that it had on a vest of royal blue and a fob watch dangling from a chain. He looked at her with his huge red eyes, saying nothing, just staring at her.

Alice became more and more anxious as he seemed to be staring through her. No longer able to stand that penetrating gaze she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Maybe if I stare at you long enough you will understand why I came."

"There is a reason?"

"Yes there is…you forgot again didn't you?"

"Forgot what?"

He sighed as if she was the slowest being in all of creation, "Underland of course. You've been there twice now and it's about to become a third."

"Underland?"

He slapped his head with aggravation and said, "The place you think only exists in your dreams…"

"That place actually exists?"

He was losing patience with her, "Yes and you need to come with me again."

He started to hop away as Alice called after him, "Why do I need to go back?"

He called back, "Because she has him!"

He picked up the pace and Alice was forced to follow him. She ran after him, her dress getting caught on branches, her feet sliding out from underneath her on more than one occasion but she was able to stay upright.

The White Rabbit would every now and then look behind him to make sure she was following but never slowed his pace. They had no time to waste.

He finally reached the tree, the gateway between the above land and Underland. He stopped long enough for her to see him and then he went down the hole.

Alice skidded to a stop by the tree trying to catch her breath, the strongest sensation of dejavu washed over her. _I have done this twice before according to him. Those dreams actually happened. That means they were memories. That also means I already made this revelation the second time._

Without any hesitation like the first two times she let herself fall down the rabbit hole. The same thing, a seemingly unending fall, the random furniture and other knick-knacks rushing past, some hitting her, the bed that she bounced off of and then the descent again.

This time she was prepared for the impact, an impact that didn't come. She landed lightly on her feet the right side up.

The White Rabbit was waiting for her and he quickly ran to a door, this one was the right size though and he somehow had a key for it.

"Don't I have to…"

"Not this time. This time there truly is no time."

"Why?"

"She has him…."

"So you said the first time I asked. And like the first time it has cleared nothing up."

He sighed heavily as he thought whether he should tell her now or wait for the White Queen to tell her. Either way she would find out and if he did not tell her she might become stubborn and threaten to follow him no further until he told her.

He turned to look her in the eye and said, "The former Red Queen has Tarrant."


End file.
